Chris Buescher shines on the Bristol night

To say that Chris Buescher was expected at such a party would not only be hypocritical but rather implausible. For the third time in as many races, a driver not qualified for the Playoffs won in this final round of the Round of 16, sealing a completely crazy first round of the final stages.

Chris Buescher brings some light to RFK's dark season © Sean Gardner/Getty Images

We must in fact go back to the Daytona 400 of 1^er July 2017 to find a trace of a Roush victory with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Chris Buescher's success also offers Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing a rather unexpected first victory since Brad Keselowski joined the team as driver/owner at the start of the season.

Buescher signs his second career victory after a rain-interrupted race won at Pocono in 2016. “I love this track. I like the fans. I love every time we come here. It's so special. It's pretty awesome! »

Brad Keselowski found a good way to get back on the podium... Buy a team! © Sean Gardner/Getty Images

Elliott ultimately failed 0,458 seconds behind Buescher ahead of William Byron, Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson and Ross Chastain. These 6 drivers are logically qualified for the Round of 12, and given their respective seasons, it would not be surprising to find the 2023 Champion in this prestigious short list.

Denny Hamlin, Chase Briscoe, Daniel Suarez, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney and Alex Bowman also qualified for the rest of the playoffs.

At the end of this night round, the list of title contenders loses two former champions NASCAR Cup Series in the person of Kevin Harvick, 2014 champion and Kyle Busch, 2015 and 2019 champion.

There are only 12 left

If Harvick recognized after the race that his elimination is a reflection of the rest of his season, the pill had more difficulty passing on the side of Kyle Busch, victim of a second engine failure in two races. In addition to the disappointment, Busch must certainly feel a touch of concern seeing that the last two drivers eliminated are none other than his future teammates within Richard Childress Racing, Tyler Reddick and Austin Cindric. Kyle Busch can now look forward to 2023, and this new challenge which will see him leave Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota for CPR and Chevrolet.

Two former fields see their #NASCARPlayoffs end at @BMSupdates. pic.twitter.com/1511pVEZNk

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) September 18, 2022

The Round of 12 will begin next Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway, a fast and ultra spectacular track to launch a second round of Playoffs which we hope will be as indecisive as the first.

Rankings for the Bass Pro Shop Night Race in Bristol:

Classent of NASCAR Championship 2022 after Bristoll: