Bristol Motor Speedway has always been one of the most challenging tracks on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule. On Saturday, Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell overcame the challenge it presented and emerged as the victor of the 2025 Bass Pro Shops Night Race. He spoke to NASCAR on The Day After and explained why the short track has also become one of the most confusing ones.
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The venue’s peculiarity is that it has been experiencing severe mood swings over the past couple of years. It all began in 2024 when there was an extreme tire fall off in the spring race.
Drivers lauded the experience despite the surprise they encountered. Coming to the Night Race last year, they expected a similar outcome. But what they got in return was a completely normal race.
Bell said, “And then, fast forward to the spring of ‘25, the practice session, extreme tire wear again. Everyone’s preparing for this, you know, having to manage tires again. And then the race turns out normal. The fall of ‘25, practice is normal with a tire that’s supposed to be wearing more. So, you just have no idea what to expect.” Drivers and teams simply have no idea what they are preparing for.
On Saturday, it took a lot of people off guard when the track didn’t take rubber like it was expected to. Many, including Bell, did anticipate such a change in track character. But the extremeness of what went down surpassed this anticipation. The No. 20 driver continued to explain how his team expected some tire wear going into the race, and yet was still left surprised.
How Bristol surpassed Bell’s expectations
“I mean, so going into the week, we knew that there was a tire change that was supposed to induce tire wear,” he said. “So, we were kind of prepared for, you know, a little bit more tire wear than normal Bristol, but the thing is that you have these total like extreme circumstances.”
When the Bristol surface decides to take rubber, it does so to an extreme level. Drivers could run all day without facing the need to change tires. But on the days that it does, they would be lucky to race 30 laps. “There’s no middle ground at all,” Bell declared. “Like, it’s not like it’ll take a little bit of rubber and you have some tire wear. It’s either all or nothing.”
With the field now headed to Loudon this coming weekend, another track where the No. 20 JGR crew and Bell himself have excelled at, it remains to be seen if the 30-year-old can keep his newfound momentum going in the postseason.
