Bristol live blog: All the updates from the Round of 16 elimination race

We‘re bringing you live updates covering Saturday night‘s NASCAR Cup Series race from Bristol Motor Speedway, the Bass Pro Shops Night Race (7 ET, USA Network, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App). Bookmark this page and check back often as we chronicle the action from ‘The Last Great Colosseum.‘

Overview: 

• Iconic NASCAR short track Bristol Motor Speedway hosts the 500-lap Round of 16 playoff elimination race Saturday night. 

• Among the 16 playoff contenders, four drivers will leave Bristol eliminated from the championship fight. And, considering Bristol is famously known for its full-contact short-track racing action, expect some flared tempers and hurt feelings. Bristol, baby!

If it helps to get you in the mood, you can check out past Bristol races ad-free on NASCAR Classics. 

All times listed are Eastern.

Saturday, September 21 

11:00 p.m., checkered flag: That‘s it for tonight‘s live blog coverage. Thanks for joining us! Race Recap | Unofficial Results

10:47 p.m., checkered flag: Perhaps unsurprisingly, Kyle Larson will enter the Round of 12 as the top-seeded driver.

10:40 p.m., checkered flag: How about some non-playoff drivers in the top 10? Bubba Wallace finished third, finishing off a top-five run for most of the night. Ryan Preece picked up a seventh-place finish for back-to-back top 10s, following a ninth-place effort at Watkins Glen last week. Ross Chastain came home 10th.

10:38 p.m., checkered flag: Chase Briscoe keeps Stewart-Haas Racing‘s championship hopes alive in the team‘s final season.

10:36 p.m., checkered flag: Brad Keselowski won‘t add a second championship trophy to his collection this year.

10:34 p.m., checkered flag: Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin will carry the banner for Joe Gibbs Racing in the Round of 12, with Ty Gibbs and Martin Truex Jr. eliminated.

10:32 p.m., checkered flag: Despite finishing 31st tonight, Daniel Suárez will advance to the Round of 12. A runner-up finish at Atlanta and a solid outing last week at Watkins Glen saved his playoffs.

10:29 p.m., checkered flag: This is Kyle Larson‘s series-leading fifth win of 2024, and the 28th of his career.

10:26 p.m., checkered flag: See the unofficial results from tonight‘s race.

10:23 p.m., checkered flag: The Round of 12 is set, kicking off next Sunday at Kansas Speedway (3 p.m., USA Network).

10:21 p.m., checkered flag: Larson‘s performance tonight, leading 462 laps, eclipsed Jeff Gordon‘s performance at Martinsville in 1997 (431 laps led) for the most laps led in a single race for a Hendrick Motorsports driver.

10:20 p.m., checkered flag: Kyle Larson‘s son Owen has joined Dad for a victory celebration.

10:18 p.m., checkered flag: Ty Gibbs, Martin Truex Jr., Brad Keselowski and Harrison Burton will not advance to the Round of 12.

10:17 p.m., Lap 500: 🏁 Checkered flag! Kyle Larson has walloped ‘em, leading 462 of 500 laps.

10:16 p.m., Lap 499: ⚪️ Final lap for Kyle Larson and the Round of 16.

10:15 p.m., Lap 491: A single-digit lap count remains for Kyle Larson, who has a 5.6-second lead.

10:13 p.m., Lap 487: Chase Briscoe is in position to advance despite numerous issues tonight — a failing rear-view camera, cockpit smoke caused from brake fans, and a bad pit stop late. He‘s running sixth, 11 points ahead of elimination.

10:09 p.m., Lap 474: Meanwhile up front, Kyle Larson has stretched his lead to nearly four seconds over Chase Elliott.

10:08 p.m., Lap 469: The No. 54 is going the wrong way as the lap count dwindles. Ty Gibbs has fallen to 12th.

10:06 p.m., Lap 462: Ty Gibbs needs six points in order to advance; he‘s running ninth and falling backward. He‘ll need to find some speed — fast — or hope for misfortune from Denny Hamlin (+10), Chase Briscoe (+8) or Daniel Suárez (+6).

10:03 p.m., Lap 450: Brad Keselowski, who’d hoped for a caution on a Hail Mary strategy play, has now pitted under green. That will likely end his playoff hopes.

10:02 p.m., Lap 445: Kyle Larson has now led over 400 laps tonight. A total butt-kicking so far — but this one‘s not over yet.

10:01 p.m., Lap 444: Here‘s the playoff picture with 56 laps to go.

1. Joey Logano, advanced to Round of 12
2. Kyle Larson, advanced to Round of 12
3. Christopher Bell, advanced to Round of 12
4. Alex Bowman, advanced to Round of 12
5. Chase Elliott, +30
6. Austin Cindric, +26
7. Ryan Blaney, +24
8. William Byron, +17
9. Tyler Reddick, +16
10. Denny Hamlin, +8
11. Chase Briscoe, +7
12. Daniel Suárez, +4
— Top 12 drivers after Bristol advance — 
13. Ty Gibbs, -4
14. Martin Truex Jr., -21
15. Brad Keselowski, -36
16. Harrison Burton, -54

9:51 p.m., Lap 405: We‘re within the final 100 laps of the Bristol Night Race now — notoriously some of the most intense laps of racing in NASCAR. Hang on, folks.

9:48 p.m., Lap 393: Martin Truex Jr. has not moved from 24th place following his pit penalty. He‘s 21 points below the elimination line. That penalty might have cost Truex a shot at a second championship; the 2017 champ announced he‘s retiring from full-time competition at the end of the year.

9:42 p.m., Lap 372: Tonight now marks the most laps led for Kyle Larson in a single race — and there are still over 125 laps remaining. Larson led 327 laps in the 2021 Coca-Cola 600.

9:39 p.m., Lap 359: Corey LaJoie is officially done for the day, ending his Spire Motorsports tenure prematurely.

9:39 p.m., Lap 359: Chase Briscoe is digging. He‘s already up to fifth, up eight spots since the restart. Similarly, Ty Gibbs restarted 15th and he‘s up to eighth.

9:33 p.m., Lap 338: 🟢 Green flag again for Kyle Larson, who‘s now led 300 laps tonight. Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott has come to life in the final stage; he now runs second.

9:32 p.m., Lap 336: Look away, No. 19 fans. Martin Truex Jr. will give up second place and go to the end of the line for the restart after speeding on pit road. This puts him below the elimination line as they run.

9:30 p.m., Lap 333: Time for more pit stops. Kyle Larson again led the field off pit road after a speedy four-tire stop, while Chase Briscoe lost a considerable amount of track position after an equipment issue. It seems Briscoe will restart 14th.

9:26 p.m., Lap 329: 🟡 Caution No. 5. Corey LaJoie has crashed in his final race driving for Spire Motorsports. LaJoie was having a solid run in the top dozen for most of the night. It seemed LaJoie‘s No. 7 broke loose, and Josh Berry made contact while LaJoie tried to gather up the car. Justin Haley moves from the No. 51 to the No. 7 next week, while LaJoie takes over Haley‘s ride at Rick Ware Racing.

9:24 p.m., Lap 324: There‘s an intense three-wide battle happening for second between Martin Truex Jr., Chase Briscoe and Denny Hamlin. Chase Elliott‘s ready to pounce in fifth. Hamlin backed out, leaving Truex and Briscoe to battle for second.

9:22 p.m., Lap 316: Harrison Burton re-entered the race 77 laps off pace.

9:19 p.m., Lap 303: Ty Gibbs is putting in work in 16th place after his penalty on the first pit stop of the night. He‘s passed Chris Buescher and Carson Hocevar since the restart, and there are still 200 laps for the sophomore driver to continue moving forward.

9:14 p.m., Lap 287: The difficult night for Daniel Suárez continues. Since the restart, he‘s lost four positions, now running 33rd. He‘s three points below the elimination line as they run.

9:10 p.m., Lap 271: Bubba Wallace has moved up to third. Could he play playoff spoiler?

9:07 p.m., Lap 260: 🟢 Back to green for the final stage — the longest one of the night. Kyle Larson leads Martin Truex Jr.

9:06 p.m., Lap 258: Alex Bowman has clinched his spot in the Round of 12 thanks to the stage points he‘s earned tonight.

9:03 p.m., Lap 255: Holding steady in fifth, Bubba Wallace remains the only non-playoff driver in the top 10.

9:00 p.m., Lap 251: 🟡 Caution No. 4 for the end of Stage 2, the halfway point of the night. Kyle Larson picked up the stage win, just ahead of Martin Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin. On old tires, Tyler Reddick picked up seven stage points by finishing fourth — that‘s a success for the No. 45, though he‘ll now need to pit and will likely restart outside the top 20.

8:58 p.m., Lap 248: 🟢 Tyler Reddick leads the field to green on old tires, but Kyle Larson quickly pounces and retakes the top spot.

8:56 p.m., Lap 246: Tyler Reddick opted to stay out and inherit the race lead; he‘d been running around 18th place all night, so stage points here could benefit his race. Reddick‘s decision to stay out also traps some cars a lap down who might have otherwise stayed out and taken the wave around at the stage break.

8:55 p.m., Lap 245: Cars are again on pit road. This stage ends in five laps, which will make for an interesting strategy decision — stay out to try to go for stage points, or set up for the best position in the final stage?

8:54 p.m., Lap 243: 🟡 Caution No. 3. Joey Logano has crashed from 12th place after a stack-up while negotiating lapped traffic. Luckily for Logano, he‘s already locked into the Round of 12 thanks to his Atlanta win.

8:53 p.m., Lap 240: Harrison Burton has gone behind the wall with power steering issues. That will likely end the playoff hopes for the No. 21 team, even if they can get Burton‘s car back on track.

8:51 p.m., Lap 234: Kyle Larson has eclipsed the 200-laps-led mark tonight.

8:42 p.m., Lap 200: It‘s been a miserable night for Daniel Suárez. At the 200-lap mark, he‘s two laps down running 32nd, and his 36-point advantage entering tonight has virtually vanished.

8:37 p.m., Lap 183: Keep an eye on Denny Hamlin in third. The defending race winner has moved up three spots since the restart and it seems his car gets better over a run. Teammate Christopher Bell is in his sights.

8:36 p.m., Lap 178: Ty Gibbs has only moved up one position after his penalty. He‘s running 23rd, and the leaders are coming quickly.

8:27 p.m., Lap 144: William Byron has already lost three spots after the restart. Byron‘s never led a lap at Bristol.

8:25 p.m., Lap 136: 🟢 The green flag is back out for Stage 2!

8:24 p.m., Lap 134: Well, scratch that note about Ty Gibbs; he‘s been penalized for speeding on pit road. He‘ll restart 24th instead of sixth.

8:22 p.m., Lap 131: Kyle Larson keeps his lead after a four-tire pit stop. Christopher Bell exited pit road second, moving past Alex Bowman. Ty Gibbs jumped from eighth up to sixth, while Chase Briscoe slipped from seventh to ninth.

8:22 p.m., Lap 131: After earning stage points in Stage 1, Christopher Bell now has enough points to advance to the Round of 12. That‘s a sigh of relief for the No. 20.

8:19 p.m., Lap 129: Time for the first pit stops of the night.

8:15 p.m., Lap 126: 🟡 Caution No. 2. Kyle Larson has won Stage 1, his 11th of the year — that’s a playoff point and 10 stage points for the No. 5. Alex Bowman, Christopher Bell, Martin Truex Jr., William Byron, Denny Hamlin, Chase Briscoe, Ty Gibbs, Chase Elliott and Bubba Wallace collect stage points, too. Wallace is the only non-playoff driver in the top 10.

8:10 p.m., Lap 104: Tough going for Brad Keselowski, running 27th, the second playoff driver to lose a lap to leader Kyle Larson.

8:08 p.m., Lap 93: Chase Briscoe has told his team his rear-view camera — the equivalent of a mirror — isn‘t functioning. He‘s running sixth but will need to rely on his spotter and team to defend his position.

8:06 p.m., Lap 87: Running 28th, Harrison Burton has gone a lap down. He‘s 47 points below the cut line and will need some help to keep his season alive.

8:05 p.m., Lap 85: The No. 5 car is getting bigger and bigger in the mirror for playoff drivers Harrison Burton and Brad Keselowski. Leader Kyle Larson will fight to put them a lap down next.

7:59 p.m., Lap 63: The Joe Gibbs Racing cars seem to have solid long-run speed. Christopher Bell has moved up to fifth past Chase Briscoe; behind them, Denny Hamlin and Ty Gibbs are picking off cars one at a time and closing.

7:51 p.m., Lap 34: Kyle Larson has passed teammate Alex Bowman for the top spot, the first lead change of the night.

7:50 p.m., Lap 27: On the other hand, Brad Keselowski is struggling. He started 23rd and has already fallen to 27th. Driver No. 6 started this one below the elimination line, so look for some adjustments over time for the three-time Bristol winner.

7:48 p.m., Lap 20: Daniel Suárez started deep in the field — 35th — after a disappointing qualifying run, but he‘s up to 29th. He entered tonight with a healthy points cushion.

7:45 p.m., Lap 11: 🟢 Back to green! Alex Bowman is still in command. Follow along with our Race Center Live Leaderboard.

7:42 p.m., Lap 7: It‘s not immediately clear what went wrong for Nemechek, who‘s not in playoff contention, but a damaged car will make for a long night at Bristol. 

7:40 p.m., Lap 4: 🟡 Caution No. 1. It didn‘t take long for the first yellow flag of the night. John Hunter Nemechek has gone for a spin at the back of the pack, damaging the rear of his No. 42.

7:39 p.m., Lap 2: Pole-sitter Alex Bowman cleared teammate Kyle Larson and he‘s set sail.

7:39 p.m., Lap 1: 🟢 Green flag! Let‘s go racing for 500 laps under the lights.

7:35 p.m.: Cars are rolling and it‘s time to get this one underway.

7:20 p.m.: The Motor Racing Outreach kids — children of NASCAR drivers and crews — are kicking things off with a wonderful performance of the national anthem. Great singing, kids!

7:12 p.m.: This 500-lapper has stage breaks at Lap 125 and 250. Stage points will play a factor tonight.

7:05 p.m.: Here‘s my Fantasy Live lineup for this evening. It‘s heavy on Hendrick Motorsports, and I selected William Byron in my NASCAR.com 36 for 36 pick, too. We’ll see if qualifying speed translates to results.

7:01 p.m.: Last night in the Xfinity Series, we watched Justin Allgaier‘s seemingly-insurmountable 43-point lead vanish after a crash, handing the regular-season title to race winner Cole Custer. In other words, nobody‘s safe from elimination — other than Joey Logano, who‘s headed to the Round of 12 thanks to his Atlanta win two weeks ago.

7 p.m.: It‘s almost time to end the Round of 16! Let‘s take a look at playoff standings heading into tonight‘s race while we fire up USA Network, shall we?

1. Joey Logano, advanced to Round of 12
2. Christopher Bell, +46
3. Austin Cindric, +43
4. Alex Bowman, +41
5. Daniel Suárez, +36
6. Tyler Reddick, +30
7. Chase Elliott, +30
8. Ryan Blaney, +29
9. Kyle Larson, +26
10. William Byron, +25
11. Chase Briscoe, +6
12. Ty Gibbs, +6
— Top 12 drivers after Bristol advance — 
13. Denny Hamlin, -6
14. Brad Keselowski, -12
15. Martin Truex Jr., -14
16. Harrison Burton, -20