Do or Die at Bristol Night Race
Ross Chastain Above Cut Line, Shane Van Gisbergen Below
Four Drivers Eliminated After Saturday's Playoff Race
NASCAR holds the third of 10 Playoff races and the third and final race of the first round Saturday night at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway.
Trackhouse Racing driver Ross Chastain enters the 500-lap event 11th in the standings, 19 points above the cutoff. Shane van Gisbergen enters the race in 14th position, 15 points below the final 12th and final transfer spot. Both drivers need good finishes on Saturday to advance to the second round.
NASCAR will eliminate four drivers from the playoffs every three races until the final four drivers will battle for the championship in a winner-take-all race at Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Ariz., on Nov. 2.
Teammate Daniel Suárez seeks to turn around a recent streak of bad luck. After three consecutive top-10 finishes at Watkins Glen, Richmond and Daytona, Suárez has been collected in wrecks by other drivers in the last two races at Darlington and St. Louis.
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ROSS CHASTAIN
Moose Fraternity Extension: Moose Fraternity, Ross Chastain and Trackhouse Racing today announced the trio will continue their partnership through the 2026 and 2027 NASCAR Cup Series seasons on the team’s No. 1 Chevrolet with Chastain behind the wheel. It will mark the seventh and eighth Cup Series seasons the fraternal organization has paired with Chastain on the track while using the 32-year-old, Alva, Florida native in membership and charity initiatives away from the track.
Moose at Bristol: This weekend at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, Chastain will pilot the No. 1 Moose Fraternity Chevrolet for the third time this season. Chastain has driven the red-and-black livery to an eighth-place finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway in February and an accident ended his day early at Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway in July. The Florida native will pilot the Moose Chevrolet for the final time this season at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway on Oct. 26.
Playoff Position: With his 24th-place finish on Sunday at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Ill., Chastain is 11th of the 16 drivers in the playoffs. The Chevrolet driver is 19 points ahead of the final transfer position going into the final race in the first round.
Chastain at Bristol: On Saturday night, Chastain makes his 11th Cup Series start at the Tennessee track. He has two consecutive top-10 finishes entering this weekend's race and one year ago he finished 10th. In five starts while driving the No. 1 Chevrolet on the high-banked concrete track, Chastain has three top-10 finishes, highlighted by a sixth-place finish in 2022.
Meet Chastain: On Friday at 2:25 p.m. ET, Chastain will sign autographs at the Trackhouse Racing merchandise hauler located in the Fan Zone - wristband required. At 3 p.m. he will appear at the Food City stage for a Q&A. On Saturday at 2 p.m., Chastain will sign autographs at Food City, 1317 Virginia Ave, Bristol, Tenn., 37620 - wristband distribution at store. At 3:35 p.m. local time, he will appear at the Chevy Stage for a Q&A, followed by autographs at the Tennessee Highway Safety Booth at 3:55 p.m. in the Bristol Fan Zone - wristband required.
Last Weekend at St. Louis: Chastain raced at the front of the field most of the race, but an untimely caution a few laps after a pit stop trapped him in 28th when the race restarted with 25 laps remaining. He raced to 24th in the final laps that ran without caution.
Crew Chief: Chastain and crew chief Phil Surgen have worked together since 2021. The duo is the third longest active driver and crew chief pairing.
Most Wins for No. 1 Car in Cup Series: The No. 1 car has been to victory lane six times with Chastain since 2022, the most wins by a driver with that number. Jamie McMurray previously held the record with four victories in the No. 1 car.
Chastain Quotes
Talk about the news this week regarding the Moose sponsorship extension.
"The Moose Fraternity has been a great partner to me dating back before my Trackhouse Racing days. It's not often in racing that you can have a relationship with a partner for as many years as I have had with the Moose. They obviously see value in the motorsports program and it gives me the opportunity to meet their guests each weekend, visit their lodges, visit Mooseheart and Moosehaven and seeing the impact they have in the community. I'm thankful they've decided to continue to support me and the No. 1 team at Trackhouse for years to come."
After St. Louis how is your playoff outlook going into Bristol?
"Obviously, we aren't heading into Bristol with as much of a points cushion as we hoped for. Being 19 points above the cutline is better than being no points or below the line. I'm going into Bristol preparing just like I prepare every week, just as if I've won the last two races. I can't try any harder. We are going to put our best foot forward and hope for the best result at Bristol and that it is good enough to get us to the next round."
About Moose International:
The Moose is an international fraternal organization of approximately 1 million men and women, dedicated to caring for the young and old, bringing communities closer together and celebrating life. The Moose organization maintains approximately 1,300 Moose Lodges/Centers across the U.S., Canada, and Great Britain, providing members with family-oriented social, dining and sports activities. The Moose organization’s main endeavors include Mooseheart Child City & School, a residential community and school for children whose families are unable to care for them; Moosehaven, a Florida retirement community for senior Moose members; and Moose “Heart of the Community” initiatives, including $50-$60 million worth of community service projects annually in towns across North America. Children at Mooseheart, located outside of Chicago, receive the nurturing home, spiritual development and solid education they need to reach their full potential through a variety of innovative, nationally-recognized educational and family-living programs.
SHANE VAN GISBERGEN
A Look ahead to Bristol: Shane van Gisbergen will make his second NASCAR Cup Series career start at Bristol Motor Speedway Saturday night. Van Gisbergen enters this weekend's race 14th out of 16 playoff drivers, 15 points below the elimination line.
Last Weekend in St. Louis: Van Gisbergen qualified 18th for the second race of the playoffs last weekend at World Wide Technology Raceway. The No. 88 Chevrolet battled for a top 20 spot most race, but a mid-race spin and a late race speeding penalty shuffled him back in the running order. Van Gisbergen restarted in 29th with 25 laps to go and drove to 25th before the checkered flag.
Earlier this Season at Bristol: Van Gisbergen's chances for a good finish ended on lap 179 when he spun after making contact with another car and sliding into the wall. He spent most of the second half of the race in the garage making repairs and was credited with a 38th-place finish.
Wake and Baconate: Van Gisbergen will pilot the No. 88 Wendy's Breakfast Baconator Chevrolet at Bristol. For a breakfast that brings all the energy from the racetrack to the next morning, it’s got to be Wendy’s Breakfast Baconator. With Grilled sausage, American cheese, Applewood smoked bacon, a fresh-cracked grade A egg, more cheese, and more bacon all covered in swiss cheese sauce, well, it’s everything great breakfasts are made of and then some.
Rookie Records: Van Gisbergen now holds the record of most wins by a Sunoco Rookie in a single season (four). The Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International victory makes Van Gisbergen the fastest driver to five Cup Series wins since Dan Gurney in 1968. Following his Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway win, Van Gisbergen became the first driver since Jeff Gordon to win three consecutive road course Cup races from the pole. The Auckland, New Zealand native is the only driver not from the United States to win at least four NASCAR Cup Series races.
Two-Time Inaugural Race Winner: Van Gisbergen has etched himself into the NASCAR history books by winning two inaugural NASCAR Cup Series races. The New Zealand native captured the win in the first-ever Mexico City race in June, and in 2023, Van Gisbergen won his debut Cup Series race with Trackhouse's PROJECT91 at the Chicago Street Race.
Winning Crew Chief: After last month's win at Watkins Glen, Stephen Doran is now a four-time winning crew chief. Doran's first win as a Cup Series Crew Chief in June at Mexico City with Van Gisbergen. Doran is in his first season as Van Gisbergen's crew chief on the No. 88 Chevrolet and his second year as a crew chief at the Cup level.
Meet SVG: Van Gisbergen will sign autographs at the Trackhouse Racing Merchandise Trailer located in the Fan Zone at 3:40 p.m. ET on Saturday - wristband required.
Multiyear Extension: What began as a one-off PROJECT91 race in 2023, continued as a successful Xfinity Series campaign in 2024 and turned into a record-breaking NASCAR Cup Series run in 2025, will continue for years to come as Shane van Gisbergen and Trackhouse Racing announced a multi-year contract extension. The agreement will keep the former V8 Supercars driver at Trackhouse Racing.
Van Gisbergen Quotes
What are your thoughts entering Bristol this weekend, knowing you are below the playoff cut line?
"Well, Bristol is a cool track. I really struggled there in the spring and it's a tough track for someone like me. It will be important to have a clean, well-executed race, try and get stage points and be up there all night. It's going to be a battle."
What has the playoff experience been like for you so far?
"It's been good. I just wish, obviously, that we could've gotten better results the last two races. It's going to be tough this weekend to get through, but the reality is we aren't there yet on ovals. It's coming, but we are just forcing it too quickly at the moment."
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DANIEL SUAREZ
Freeway Insurance: Longtime Suárez and Trackhouse corporate partner Freeway Insurance's decals and colors will adorn the No. 99 Saturday night in Bristol.
Bristol: Suárez owns two top-10 finishes on the half-mile, concrete high banks of Bristol. He finished sixth in the summer race in 2017. He also finished fourth and 12th in 2021 and 2022 on the dirt in Bristol.
Bristol Introduction Song: Bristol's tradition, which allows drivers to pick their introduction songs, returns Saturday night. Suárez selected "Danza Kuduro" by Don Omar.
Trackhouse's First Top-Five: Suarez's fourth-place finish on the Bristol dirt in 2021 included leading 58 laps, marking Trackhouse Racing's first top-five finish. The team now owns 55 top-five finishes.
Career: Suárez owns two victories (Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway 2022 and Atlanta Motor Speedway 2024) and three Busch Light Pole Awards - Pocono (Pa.) Raceway July 2018, Kentucky Speedway July 2019, and on the road course at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway August 2023.
Personal Life: Suárez married Julia Piquet, daughter of three-time Formula One World Champion Nelson Piquet, at a ceremony on July 30 in Brazil. The couple took a delayed honeymoon trip to Japan in the offseason. He is also now a dual citizen of Mexico and the United States. He took the American Oath of Allegiance at a naturalization ceremony on June 18 in front of media, friends, the NASCAR industry and NASCAR Commissioner Steve Phelps, who gave the keynote address to the 48 new citizens from 28 countries who joined Suárez at the ceremony. The 33-year-old Monterrey, Mexico native arrived in America about 13 years ago, unable to speak English.
Mexico Success: Suárez returned to his native country in June as NASCAR held its inaugural race at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City. A week of fan and media activity included a 19th-place finish in the Cup race. But few will forget his drive from last place to first in the No. 9 Quaker State Chevrolet for JR Motorsports in the Xfinity Series race and the celebration in front of the raucous fans. It marked the first time in any NASCAR series that a driver had done that on a road course. His victory, coupled with Van Gisbergen's, marks the first time since 2009 that international drivers have swept a race weekend.
Trackhouse Racing and Suárez Agree to Part Ways: Trackhouse Racing and Suárez announced on July 1 that they have mutually decided to conclude their partnership following the 2025 season. The move allows Suárez to pursue new opportunities in his racing career. Trackhouse Development driver and Xfinity racer Connor Zilisch will join Trackhouse's Cup lineup in 2026.
Suárez Quotes
What are your thoughts entering Bristol this weekend?
"I cant wait to get there. The last two weeks we have been a victim of other drivers mistakes and that isn't much fun. We deserve better because we have been bringing faster race cars to the track."
Do you enjoy the night race?
"The night race is so much fun at Bristol. The crowd is into it and our cars at night are so much cooler. It's a fantastic show. Everybody is running for points, or to advance into the next round of the playoffs or running for the victory, so there is a lot going on Saturday night. We just want a win. That's our only strategy."
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