From a NASCAR Fan’s View The Cup teams take it to the Bristol Motor Speedway for Chase Race Three. Weather canceled qualifying for the Cup teams at Bristol on Friday, so, you know what that means, don’t you? Yeah, that’s correct. The starting lineup will be according to the rulebook. That also means a few interesting things could change how the race goes. Sometimes, things happen that make a large difference in how things might have gone. Because of the weather situation, Kyle Larson, last week’s winner, starts on the pole and, barring the unforeseen, will likely have the best pit stall. Having that pit stall could be an even greater advantage than starting on the pole. Taking in the reality of that starting lineup and pit stall situation, especially at Bristol, could have major implications for Kyle and the rest of the field. Look, I know nothing is ever set in stone in the NASCAR Cup Series, but let’s be honest. Last weekend Kyle broke his fifty-one-race winless streak and carries the momentum into this weekend from that win. Of course, everyone knows that doesn’t mean much when it comes to the actual race, but it does mean he is taking that momentum to a place where he generally performs well. Naturally, there are other factors involved in what the weather did, the field having to start according to the rulebook metrics, and how the rest of the field lines up. If nothing else, it should make it very interesting, depending on how things go. One of the interesting things from my view about how the race will start is that Joey Logano starts on the front row with Larson. Logano and Larson both scored a bunch of points last weekend and led the most laps between them. They also battled each other for much of the race for the win. Last weekend, Logano started on the pole, with Larson outside him on the front row. This weekend, those roles are reversed. As a fan, I don’t know that that will have any bearing at all on how this one will go from the drop of the green flag, or when the checkered flag drops at the finish. I almost hate to bring this up, but Denny Hamlin starts from the third position, just nine points ahead of Larson, who gained five spots in the points standings with his win last weekend. That means the drama will be heightened as this race progresses. In fact, there are several drivers starting in the top fifteen that could end the day with a win. That wouldn’t be all that much of a surprise, since that area is full of Chasers looking for a win. Let’s not forget that a winner from outside The Chase could also happen. That makes things even more interesting, especially in a night race at Bristol on a Saturday night. As a quick side note, William Byron, Carson Hocevar, and Alex Bowman start fourth, fifth, and sixth, and all three are quite capable of winning. Of course, Byron has had his share of difficulties in this part of the season, but he did manage a good finish last weekend, even though he once again faced difficulties during the earlier parts of the race. I can’t help but wonder if this might be his time to take his first win in 2026, much like Larson broke through last weekend. Of course his results won’t be as dramatic as Larson’s, but he could still make a pretty good leap back into contention. After all, we are only three races in. Carson Hocevar is once again my possible dark horse winner. If he pulls off a victory, that would definitely shake things up in The Chase. The same goes for Bubba Wallace starting tenth. Should he take the win, it would be a second Toyota to win in the first three races of The Chase. That would really shake things up in this fan’s opinion. Once again, there are so many possibilities in this Bristol night race that it is hard to get a real grip on which of the drivers might win. Christopher Bell quickly comes to mind as well as Brad Keselowski, Austin Cindric, Ty Gibbs, and even Ryan Preece. Some Long shots for this one, at least from this fan’s view, are Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott, Chase Briscoe, and Tyler Reddick. Sure, I know there are others, but I just didn’t want to list most of the rest of the field. Looking at this Bristol night race, and how things often go here, I suppose it could go much like last weekend. Who knows, but that it might be another battle between Larson and Logano, with either the same or reversed result at the finish. I don’t have any idea how it will finish, but I am sure it will be intense… Hey, this is Russ and that’s my view… See ya next time… All views expressed are strictly the opinion of the writer © September 19, 2026 – all rights reserved Rusty Norman, Nascarfansview.com, and PodCastNorm Dot Com All audio productions by www.podcastnorm.com and Pod Cast Norm Productions All music TwoBuckThemes from Mike Stewart unless otherwise stated NASCARFansView.com is an independent, unofficial fan site and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by NASCAR LLC.
