PREVIEW: Bristol the next challenge for resurgent Ty Dillon at Our Motorsports, among others

IMAGE: Spencer Davis Motorsports, Graphics Effects render

Thursday, September 16, 2021 (9:00 P.M. ET, FS1)

TRUCKS Race 18 of 22

Round of 10 – Race 3 of 3

UNOH 200 Presented by Ohio Logistics at Bristol

2020 Last-Place Finisher: Trevor Bayne

ENTRY LIST

Tonight’s return of the Truck Series sees 41 entries for 40 spots with Norm Benning on the outside looking in (see below).

DRIVER CHANGE: #3-Jordan Anderson Racing

Howie DiSavino III returns for his fourth Truck Series start of the season and first since Pocono, where he ran a season-best 22nd. Kees Vacations and Bud’s Plumbing return as sponsors as he takes the place of Jordan Anderson, who was 26th in Darlington.

DID NOT QUALIFY: #6-Norm Benning Racing

Norm Benning will not qualify as the 41st-ranked team among this week’s entrants. This marks Benning’s first DNQ since the season opener in Daytona, although he also withdrew from both COTA and Gateway.

RETURNING: #11-Spencer Davis Motorsports

MISSING: #68-Clay Greenfield Racing

Two owner-driver operations collaborate this week in Bristol as Clay Greenfield parks his #68, which ran 19th in its season debut at Darlington, and drives for the team that finished three spots behind him. Greenfield takes the place of Spencer Davis in the #11, and brings backing from both Rackley Roofing and Greenfield Pavement Coatings.

RETURNING: #17-David Gilliland Racing

Taylor Gray returns for his third career Truck Series start, looking to improve on his season-best 12th-place performance at Gateway despite a late-race incident. Following starts on Watkins Glen’s fast road course and the flat Gateway track, the banked Bristol short track will be another new challenge.

DRIVER CHANGE: #24-GMS Racing

After two decades of racing NASCAR modifieds to 31 wins and six championships, Doug Coby III will finally make his NASCAR national touring series debut tonight. Coby takes the place of Jack Wood in the GMS #24 and carries sponsorship from Mayhew Tools. Wood, who ran 30th last time out in Gateway, will miss his first race since Texas in June.

RETURNING: #32-Bret Holmes Racing

Sam Mayer makes his fifth Truck Series start of the year and his first since Watkins Glen, where he scored his third-straight top-ten finish in as many starts with a 9th-place showing. Camping World is the listed sponsor of his Chevrolet.

DRIVER CHANGE: #33-Reaume Brothers Racing

After a frustrating afternoon in last week’s XFINITY Series race at Richmond, C.J. McLaughlin returns to the Truck Series, taking the place of 37th-place Ryan Ellis in the #33 Reaume entry. This will be only the fourth start of McLaughlin’s Truck Series career and his first green flag this year since Charlotte, where he ran 27th for the same team.

PAINT SCHEME: #42-Niece Motorsports

Carson Hocevar throws back to mentor Johnny Benson, Jr. and his Exide ride with Bill Davis Racing as he seeks not only his first Truck Series win, but also a chance at making the next round of the Playoffs.

RETURNING: #49-CMI Motorsports

Ray Ciccarelli is back in the field for the first time since Pocono in his own #49.

DRIVER CHANGE: #51-Kyle Busch Motorsports

Drew Dollar is back in KBM’s #51 for the first time since Nashville, where he only managed a 24th-place finish – his third-straight run of 20th or worse. Dollar looks to rebound as he takes the place of Dylan Lupton, who ran 31st at Darlington.

DRIVER CHANGE: #56-Hill Motorsports

Timmy Hill trades off for brother Tyler Hill in an unsponsored black #56 Chevrolet. This will be Timmy’s 9th Truck Series start of the year and first since Watkins Glen, where he ran 24th. He’s run 17th and 20th in this race the last two years,

RETURNING: #04-Roper Racing

Cory Roper returns for the first time since Gateway and, unlike that night, looks to have a sponsor with a returning Carquest Auto Parts.

CUP INVADERS: None

Friday, September 17, 2021 (7:30 P.M. ET, NBCSN)

XFINITY Race 26 of 33

Regular Season Finale

Food City 300 at Bristol

2020 Last-Place Finisher: Stephen Leicht

ENTRY LIST

There are 41 drivers entered for 40 spots on the XFINITY side as well, where again MBM's #13 team will not make the cut (see below).

DRIVER CHANGE: #5-B.J. McLeod Motorsports

DRIVER SWAP: #8-JR Motorsports

DRIVER SWAP: #99-B.J. McLeod Motorsports

Stefan Parsons returns for his 9th XFINITY Series start of the year and first since a crash at Nashville left him last in the 36-car field. After running both the #99 and #76 for B.J. McLeod Motorsports, Parsons will this time run the #5 in place of 21st-place Richmond finisher Matt Mills, who this week runs the #99. Sam Mayer, who ran the #99 to a 12th-place showing last week, returns to his #8 at JR Motorsports after Dale Earnhardt, Jr. finished 14th in his one-off start at Richmond.

DID NOT QUALIFY: #13-Motorsports Business Management

Timmy Hill did not qualify for the XFINITY Series race under metric qualifying, and will instead focus on today’s Truck Series event.

DRIVER CHANGE: #15-JD Motorsports

DRIVER SWAP: #74-Mike Harmon Racing

With C.J. McLaughlin out of the #74 following his last-place run in Richmond, Bayley Currey is back aboard the #74. Currey last week ran 27th in JD Motorsports’ #15, which this week goes to B.J. McLeod in a double-duty bid with the Cup Series. McLeod finished 22nd in his most recent XFINITY start at Darlington, driving for DGM Racing.

DRIVER CHANGE: #17-Rick Ware Racing / SS-Green Light Racing

Carson Ware is back again for the first time since Darlington, this time in the #17, taking the place of J.J. Yeley, who ran 29th last week in Richmond. Yeley will instead run Saturday’s Cup race (see below). Pounds Property Management is the listed sponsor for Ware this week. 

DRIVER SWAP: #23-Our Motorsports

DRIVER CHANGE: #02-Our Motorsports

Brett Moffitt expected to return from illness from Darlington, replacing Ty Dillon, who moves to Our's #23 in place of Patrick Emerling. After struggling through this season’s first few rounds with Joe Gibbs Racing, Ty has finished no worse than 13th in his latest four starts for Chris Our, highlighted by a 5th in Atlanta. Bristol also happens to be the site of one of Ty's only stage wins in Cup. Home Town Lenders backs the #23 this week.

DRIVER CHANGE: #26-Sam Hunt Racing

Give a call to Sam Hunt Racing, which notched their first top-five finish last Saturday at the hands of 3rd-place finisher John Hunter Nemechek. With JHN focusing on the Truck Series, it will be Brandon Gdovic back in the #26 SnapMobile.shop Toyota. Gdovic also surprised in his most recent start at Loudon, finishing 16th – his second-best of 2021 behind an 8th in the Daytona opener.

DRIVER CHANGE: #31-Jordan Anderson Racing

Sage Karam will be far outside his normal comfort zone at Bristol. Following a 26th-place debut on the Indianapolis Grand Prix Circuit, the open-wheel star will take the place of 24th-place Josh Berry on Bristol’s concrete high-banks. 

DRIVER CHANGE: #52-Jimmy Means Racing

Gray Gaulding returns in place of 34th-place Richmond finisher Akinori Ogata. Under the lights, the #52 will run a return of their special "UFC Prizm" paint scheme for sponsor Panini America.

DRIVER CHANGE: #61-Motorsports Business Management

Chad Finchum steps in for Stephen Leicht with sponsorship from Black Oak Contracting on his Toyota. This will be Finchum’s sixth XFINITY start of the year and first since Charlotte, where he ran a season-best 15th on the lead lap in MBM’s #13.

DRIVER CHANGE: #78-B.J. McLeod Motorsports

Another shuffle of the lineup at B.J. McLeod’s team is the return of Jesse Little after a one-week hiatus, back in the #78 for the first time since Darlington. Little and sponsor David’s Electric take the place of Mason Massey, who charged from 34th on the Richmond grid to earn a solid 17th at the finish.

CUP INVADERS: None

Saturday, September 18, 2021 (7:30 P.M. ET, NBCSN)

CUP Race 29 of 36

Round of 16 – Race 3 of 3

Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol

2020 Last-Place Finisher: Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.

ENTRY LIST

There are 38 drivers entered for 40 spots in the iconic “Night Race at Bristol,” marking the fewest starters in this event since August 24, 1996, when 39 took the green flag. This is the third-straight short field of the 2021 season and the 22nd in 29 races this year.

DRIVER CHANGE: #15-Rick Ware Racing

James Davison looks to improve on his Bristol debut of a year ago when he ran 35th in Rick Ware Racing’s #53. This time around, he replaces 33rd-place Richmond finisher Joey Gase in the #15 with Greatest Generations as the listed sponsor.

DRIVER SWAP: #51-Rick Ware Racing

DRIVER SWAP: #53-Rick Ware Racing

J.J. Yeley will run for RWR in Cup instead of XFINITY this week, and this time takes the place of Garrett Smithley in relieving a recovering Cody Ware. Smithley will take Yeley’s ride from last week – the #53 – with Boom Mobile as the listed sponsor of his Chevrolet.

RETURNING: #66-Motorsports Business Management

Rejoining the Cup garage again is Carl Long’s Cup team, which brings David Starr on as driver and The Naked Market as sponsor. On the XFINITY Series side, Starr has not made himself many friends this season, and will be one to watch in his first Cup start at Bristol since 2011, when he ran 27th for the now-defunct Leavine Family Racing team.

PAINT SCHEME: #78-Live Fast Motorsports

B.J. McLeod is running a camouflage paint scheme in honor of the 13 fallen servicemen in Afghanistan. This will be McLeod’s first Cup start at Bristol since the delayed “spring” race last year, when he was looking for a Top 25 before a late wreck not of his doing left him 28th.

TODAY IN LASTCAR HISTORY (September 16, 1984): Jimmy Ingalls picked up the 1st last-place finish of his NASCAR Winston Cup Series career in the Delaware 500 at Dover when his #6 U.S. Racing Chevrolet crashed after 32 laps. Ingalls, who brought out the race’s third caution on Lap 33, was making his fourth of five career Cup starts. The last of these came at Rockingham, four races later, where he finished 22nd.