Bristol. Drivers and teams know what it means. Action. Hard racing and hope of survival after 500 hard, grueling laps around the famed, high-banked Tennessee short track.

Officially named Bristol Motor Speedway, the track built in 1961 has offered some incredible racing that allows drivers just a few seconds per lap to breathe before the next set of turns approach and require quick thinking and fast handling.

The 2024 Bass Pro Shops Night Race is a NASCAR Playoff event with the first two in the series at Darlington and Atlanta now in the rearview mirror. Wins by Tyler Reddick, of 23XI Racing and Joey Logano of Team Penske left them in secure positions to advance to the Round of 12. That leaves other playoff drivers in need of a win or enough points to advance to the Round of 12 should either of those drivers become repeat winners Saturday night.

Below the Round of 16 cutoff line are Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, Martin Truex and Harrison Burton. The best bets for those four is to win, as all are in dangerous territory of not making it further in the playoff standings.

Ask any of those in the playoffs or those that are not and the answers will be the same; racing at Bristol simply makes for a tough evening. Finishing, finishing well and winning are three different outcomes entirely.  Those looking to advance must have near-perfect performances.

Chris Buescher, a driver for RFK Racing and the winner on the road course in last week’s Cup Series race at Watkins Glen, just missed making the playoffs but faces Bristol with a large degree of excitement and reverence.

The Texas native feels that cooler weather conditions may play a factor in the race and tire wear.

“I did the tire tests (at Bristol) with our team, and so coming out of there I would say that I would expect some similar characteristics (to the spring race),” Buescher said. “I don’t feel like “there’s a lot that’s going to massively change how that day (played) out. We’re starting to hit a little bit cooler weather. It’s kind of a stretch. Humidity is still there everywhere in the South, but I would say that there’s a very high possibility that it’s going to be a high tire wear race, and you are going to have to play it differently.

“Don’t doubt for one second that every team is aware of that; that everyone knows that they’re going to be on high alert. We are going to be thinking about how to make tires last without giving up overall speed. How do you push that?”

A substance applied to the track in the past will be taken away, which will be a consideration for the drivers in the 40-car field. It’s a concern for all drivers and teams.

“The bigger thing from the test (on July 16) that seemed to help was the PJ1 (track surface additive),” Buescher said. “Certainly seemed to put us in a little better spot. I guess I thought that was staying, but it sounds like it is not. We’re going back to resin. So I think from that side of it, to me, that means it’s going to be very similar to what we had last time. Maybe a little bit better just because teams are going to learn what they need or have learned from that last experience, but I would expect some chaos there.”

Tire wear will be important at Bristol, as drivers and crew members work on strategies for the 500-lap event. With a race so unpredictable, anything can happen and teams must be prepared for anything to happen.

Josh Berry, driver of the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford, is looking for his first win as a rookie driver in the Cup Series this season. He has had experience there before and could pull off a surprise victory.

“If you are up front, you are going to have to find a balance of speed, but also saving some tires to get the most out of the run,” Berry said. “If you are further back, you can save harder and try to make a run later in that stint. It is really hard to say with how the race in the spring unfolded.

“I think it will be situational and depends a lot on our strategy, but we had a really good car in the spring and I am confident that our team will build another fast (car) and we can go try to maximize our day and contend for a win. We are more than capable; we just need to put together a complete day.”

A.J. Allmendinger, driver of the No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet, has made 24 NCS starts at Bristol Motor Speedway. He has led 54 laps and earned two top-10 finishes on the track.

“Bristol is a track I love driving in Cup,” Allmendinger said. “It’s a place we’ve run in the top 10 before, and we can go there and have a strong night.

“Mentally, you have to make sure you’re up to the challenge of 500 laps around that track and I always love the test of that. The Cup race in the spring was insane — probably one of the craziest races I have been a part of with the way the tires were. I felt like we learned there, and we’ve made the cars a little bit better since then, but I’m not sure how the tire strategy will play out or if it will be the same way.”

NASCAR TV schedule

Bristol Motor Speedway

Friday — Xfinity Series Foody City 300 (7:30 p.m., The CW)

Saturday — Cup Series Bass Pro Shops Night Race (7:30 p.m., USA)

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Bristol Night Race 2024 chaos NASCAR drivers prepare