# 2021 Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race

The 2021 Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race was a NASCAR Cup Series race held on September 18, 2021 at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee. Contested over 500 laps on the .533-mile (0.858 km) short track, it was the 29th race of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season, third race of the Playoffs and final race of the Round of 16.
The race was won by Kyle Larson. Tyler Reddick, Aric Almirola, Kurt Busch and Michael McDowell were eliminated from the round of 16.

## Report
### Background

The Bristol Motor Speedway, formerly known as Bristol International Raceway and Bristol Raceway, is a NASCAR short track venue located in Bristol, Tennessee. Constructed in 1960, it held its first NASCAR race on July 30, 1961. Despite its short length, Bristol is among the most popular tracks on the NASCAR schedule because of its distinct features, which include extraordinarily steep banking, an all concrete surface, two pit roads, and stadium-like seating. It has also been named one of the loudest NASCAR tracks.

#### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
* (i) denotes driver who are ineligible for series driver points.
| No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer |
| 00 | Quin Houff | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet |
| 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet |
| 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford |
| 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 6 | Ryan Newman | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
| 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 8 | Tyler Reddick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford |
| 14 | Chase Briscoe (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 15 | James Davison | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet |
| 17 | Chris Buescher | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
| 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 21 | Matt DiBenedetto | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford |
| 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford |
| 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota |
| 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 37 | Ryan Preece | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet |
| 38 | Anthony Alfredo (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 41 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 42 | Ross Chastain | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet |
| 43 | Erik Jones | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet |
| 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 51 | J. J. Yeley (i) | Petty Ware Racing | Chevrolet |
| 52 | Josh Bilicki | Rick Ware Racing | Ford |
| 53 | Garrett Smithley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet |
| 66 | David Starr (i) | MBM Motorsports | Toyota |
| 77 | Justin Haley (i) | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 78 | B. J. McLeod (i) | Live Fast Motorsports | Ford |
| 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet |
| Official entry list ||||

## Qualifying

Martin Truex Jr. was awarded the pole for the race as determined by competition-based formula.

### Starting Lineup

| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer |
| 1 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 2 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 3 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford |
| 4 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 5 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 6 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 7 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford |
| 8 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 9 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 10 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford |
| 11 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 12 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 13 | 8 | Tyler Reddick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 14 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 15 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet |
| 16 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 17 | 42 | Ross Chastain | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet |
| 18 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 19 | 21 | Matt DiBenedetto | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford |
| 20 | 14 | Chase Briscoe (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 21 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet |
| 22 | 43 | Erik Jones | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 23 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet |
| 24 | 6 | Ryan Newman | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
| 25 | 17 | Chris Buescher | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
| 26 | 41 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 27 | 37 | Ryan Preece | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet |
| 28 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota |
| 29 | 77 | Justin Haley (i) | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 30 | 38 | Anthony Alfredo (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 31 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 32 | 78 | B. J. McLeod (i) | Live Fast Motorsports | Ford |
| 33 | 52 | Josh Bilicki | Rick Ware Racing | Ford |
| 34 | 00 | Quin Houff | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet |
| 35 | 51 | J. J. Yeley (i) | Petty Ware Racing | Chevrolet |
| 36 | 53 | Garrett Smithley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet |
| 37 | 15 | James Davison | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet |
| 38 | 66 | David Starr (i) | MBM Motorsports | Toyota |
| Official starting lineup |||||

## Race

Martin Truex Jr. earned the pole position for the start of the race, where he led the first five laps. Denny Hamlin won stage one after passing Kyle Larson on lap 90. A red flag occurred for nearly eight minutes following a turn 4 incident that involved four vehicles on lap 221. Larson led at the end of stage two. On lap 464, Chase Elliott was forced to pit from the lead when he had a flat tire from damage he received when Kevin Harvick got into his rear quarter panel. When he got back on the track, Elliott attempted to retaliate by getting into the side of then race leader Harvick and then running Harvick's preferred line, thus slowing him down. Larson was able to pass Harvick on lap 497, and secure his 12th overall Cup Series win. Following the race, Harvick and Elliott bumped cars on pit road and confronted each other when they eventually parked. The two had a heated conversation with Elliott pointing at Harvick while Harvick had his helmet still on with both their crew members and NASCAR officials trying to break up the fight. The two got into a bit of a shoving match when Elliott pushed on Harvick's helmet before they were both separated. Frustrated, Harvick took off his helmet and slammed it on the roof of his car just barely missing his glasses. Both drivers got interviewed where the mics were piped into the speakers of the track for the fans to hear. Harvick said, "I just told him it was kind of a chicken shit move that he did there at the end you know. We're racing for the freaking win at Bristol. We're three-wide in the middle and he throws a temper tantrum like I was just trying to get the lead and racing hard, then he pulls up infront of me, and just sits there until I lose the whole lead." He ended by saying "God Damn. I'm about to rip somebody's freaking head off." Elliott said, "It's something [Harvick] does all the time. He runs into your left side constantly at other tracks and sometimes it does cut down your left side (tires), other times it doesn't." The argument continued for several minutes eventually continuing inside Elliott's hauler. Michael McDowell, Kurt Busch, Tyler Reddick, and Aric Almirola were eliminated from the Playoffs.

### Stage Results

Stage One Laps: 125
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 10 |
| 2 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 7 |
| 5 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 4 |
| 8 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 3 |
| 9 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 2 |
| 10 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1 |
| Official stage one results ||||||
Stage Two Laps: 125
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 9 |
| 3 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 8 |
| 4 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 3 |
| 9 | 8 | Tyler Reddick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 1 |
| Official stage two results ||||||

### Final Stage Results

Stage Three Laps: 250
| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
| 1 | 5 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 500 | 59 |
| 2 | 8 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 500 | 45 |
| 3 | 14 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 500 | 42 |
| 4 | 7 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 500 | 43 |
| 5 | 11 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 500 | 32 |
| 6 | 10 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 500 | 46 |
| 7 | 1 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 500 | 32 |
| 8 | 22 | 43 | Erik Jones | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 500 | 29 |
| 9 | 2 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 500 | 47 |
| 10 | 19 | 21 | Matt DiBenedetto | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 500 | 27 |
| 11 | 3 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 500 | 26 |
| 12 | 13 | 8 | Tyler Reddick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 500 | 27 |
| 13 | 20 | 14 | Chase Briscoe (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 500 | 24 |
| 14 | 17 | 42 | Ross Chastain | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 500 | 23 |
| 15 | 18 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 500 | 22 |
| 16 | 28 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 500 | 21 |
| 17 | 27 | 37 | Ryan Preece | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 500 | 20 |
| 18 | 12 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 500 | 19 |
| 19 | 15 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 500 | 18 |
| 20 | 23 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 499 | 17 |
| 21 | 9 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 499 | 21 |
| 22 | 21 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet | 498 | 15 |
| 23 | 25 | 17 | Chris Buescher | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 498 | 14 |
| 24 | 16 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 498 | 13 |
| 25 | 4 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 497 | 26 |
| 26 | 31 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 497 | 11 |
| 27 | 35 | 51 | J. J. Yeley (i) | Petty Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 495 | 0 |
| 28 | 26 | 41 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 494 | 9 |
| 29 | 6 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 493 | 14 |
| 30 | 36 | 53 | Garrett Smithley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 487 | 0 |
| 31 | 33 | 52 | Josh Bilicki | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 482 | 6 |
| 32 | 38 | 66 | David Starr (i) | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 482 | 0 |
| 33 | 37 | 15 | James Davison | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 474 | 4 |
| 34 | 34 | 00 | Quin Houff | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 375 | 3 |
| 35 | 30 | 38 | Anthony Alfredo (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 313 | 2 |
| 36 | 29 | 77 | Justin Haley (i) | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 216 | 0 |
| 37 | 32 | 78 | B. J. McLeod (i) | Live Fast Motorsports | Ford | 215 | 0 |
| 38 | 24 | 6 | Ryan Newman | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 177 | 1 |
| Official race results ||||||||

### Race statistics

* Lead changes: 23 among 7 different drivers
* Cautions/Laps: 8 for 71
* Red flags: 1 for 7 minutes and 53 seconds
* Time of race: 3 hours, 2 minutes and 56 seconds
* Average speed: 87.409 miles per hour (140.671 km/h)

## Media
### Television

NBC Sports covered the race on the television side. Rick Allen, 2008 Food City 500 winner Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte and Dale Earnhardt Jr. called the race from the broadcast booth. Dave Burns, Marty Snider and Dillon Welch handled the pit road duties from pit lane. Rutledge Wood handled the features from the track.
NBCSN :
| Booth announcers | Pit reporters | Features reporter |
| Lap-by-lap: Rick Allen Color-commentator: Jeff Burton Color-commentator: Steve Letarte Color-commentator: Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dave Burns Marty Snider Dillon Welch | Rutledge Wood |

### Radio

PRN had the radio call for the race, which was also simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Doug Rice and Mark Garrow called the race from the booth when the field races down the frontstretch. Rob Albright called the race when the field races down the backstretch. Brad Gillie, Brett McMillan, Alan Cavanna, and Wendy Venturini handled the duties on pit lane.
PRN :
| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lead announcer: Doug Rice Announcer: Mark Garrow | Backstretch: Rob Albright | Brad Gillie Brett McMillan Alan Cavanna Wendy Venturini |

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Kyle Larson | 3,059 |
| 1 | 2 | Martin Truex Jr. | 3,029 (–30) |
| 1 | 3 | Denny Hamlin | 3,024 (–35) |
| 1 | 4 | Ryan Blaney | 3,024 (–35) |
| 5 | 5 | Kyle Busch | 3,022 (–37) |
| 1 | 6 | Chase Elliott | 3,021 (–38) |
| 6 | 7 | Alex Bowman | 3,015 (–44) |
| 7 | 8 | William Byron | 3,014 (–45) |
| 5 | 9 | Joey Logano | 3,013 (–46) |
| 1 | 10 | Brad Keselowski | 3,008 (–51) |
| 3 | 11 | Christopher Bell | 3,005 (–54) |
| 6 | 12 | Kevin Harvick | 3,002 (–57) |
| 2 | 13 | Aric Almirola | 2,075 (–984) |
| | 14 | Tyler Reddick | 2,075 (–984) |
| 3 | 15 | Kurt Busch | 2,071 (–988) |
| | 16 | Michael McDowell | 2,028 (–1,031) |
| Official driver's standings ||||
| Pos | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | Chevrolet | 1,068 |
| 2 | Ford | 1,001 (–67) |
| 3 | Toyota | 990 (–78) |