Chris Buescher has promised an aggressive approach as NASCAR’s tight championship fight reaches Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday night.
Chris Buescher made the No. 17 team’s position clear before the NASCAR Cup Series visits Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday, September 19. The plan leaves no room for doubt.
“We’re just going to be aggressive”.
Denny Hamlin heads to Bristol atop the Cup standings with 2,168 points. Kyle Larson follows on 2,159, with Christopher Bell on 2,150. Just 18 points cover the top three as the 16-driver Chase moves into its third race.
Buescher selects attack mode
Buescher’s comment sets a straightforward objective for the No. 17 crew at Bristol. The short-track weekend begins for the Cup field with practice at 16:30 on Friday, September 18, before qualifying at 17:40.
The race gets underway at 19:30 on Saturday.
Buescher added no qualification or lengthy explanation in the available comment. His wording was direct, identifying aggression as the team’s Chase mindset before the cars take to the track on Friday.
Teams will have little chance to pause after Bristol. Kansas II follows from September 24 through September 27, with Las Vegas II running from October 1 through October 4. Charlotte II is set for October 8 through October 11.
Larson gains ground on Hamlin
Larson reaches Bristol nine points behind Hamlin after snapping a 51-race winless streak at Gateway. The victory, his first in 16 months, led a Hendrick Motorsports 1-2 finish.
The defending champion is pursuing a second straight Cup Series title. His Gateway result lifted him to second in the standings, while Hamlin stayed in first and Bell remained third.
Bell began the 2026 Chase with victory in the Southern 500 at Darlington, his first win of the season. Larson responded in the second postseason race, producing two different winners across the opening two Chase events.
Hamlin entered the postseason after calling his Daytona regular-season finale a “decent, clean night.” He also said he was ready to “dig a little more” during the Chase.
Title fight stays tightly packed
The 2026 Chase features 16 drivers fighting for the championship over the final 10 races. Bristol comes next, with fewer than 20 points separating Hamlin, Larson and Bell.
Friday’s qualifying session will provide the weekend’s first confirmed competitive marker. Practice starts 70 minutes earlier, leaving teams with a narrow window before the starting order is set.
The first two Chase results have already changed the immediate order. Bell’s Darlington victory put Joe Gibbs Racing on top in the postseason opener. Larson then broke a 51-race drought at Gateway and closed to within nine points of Hamlin.
Buescher has committed publicly to an aggressive approach for Bristol, though his comment did not specify whether it applies to qualifying, race setup or strategy.
Preece takes Daytona breakthrough forward
Ryan Preece secured his Chase place by winning the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona in overtime. A last-lap pass delivered his first Cup points victory and his first postseason berth.
“This is redemption”.
Preece’s victory pushed Shane van Gisbergen below the Chase cutline. Van Gisbergen gave a brief verdict after the race: “Shame we’re not in it”.
Chase Elliott placed 23rd at Daytona and said he was pressing the “reset button” for the postseason. Chase Briscoe called the new Daytona rules package “a lot of fun,” but the schedule has since progressed from the superspeedway finale to Darlington, Gateway and Bristol.
Bristol opens with Friday track action
The Cup weekend spans September 17 through September 19. The first Cup track running comes Friday, with practice at 16:30 and qualifying at 17:40 ahead of Saturday night’s race at 19:30.
Hamlin starts the competitive sessions with 2,168 points and the championship lead. Larson enters nine points behind, while Bell sits 18 points off Hamlin.
Buescher and the No. 17 team will first apply their aggressive plan in Friday’s practice session at 16:30.
