Frontstretch Newsletter: The Truck Title Is Still Corey Heim's To Lose

Published: Fri, 09/12/25

Updated: Fri, 09/12/25

Frontstretch Newsletter: Sept. 12, 2025
Volume XIX, Edition CLX

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What to Watch: Sept. 12-14

For information on the NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops Night Race, see the Frontstretch Folio below.

- NASCAR Xfinity Series teams are on-site in Bristol today to start their playoff run. Practice today is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET this afternoon on The CW App. Qualifying will be at 3:05 a.m. ET. Some CW affiliates may air the sessions, but check your local listings.

Coverage of the Food City 300 will begin with NASCAR Countdown Live at 7 p.m. ET on The CW. Race coverage will start at 7:30 p.m. ET with the green flag at 7:40 p.m. ET.

- World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series will make their first-ever appearance at Bakersfield Speedway at Kevin Harvick's Kern Raceway. Note that Bakersfield Speedway shut down at the end of last year and the track's former management took the dirt track at Kern Raceway. Coverage of the Nashville West Showdown will begin at 9:15 p.m. ET tonight on DirtVision.

Saturday night sees the series make a haul to the other side of the Los Angeles Metro area to race at Perris Auto Speedway. Coverage of the Socal Showdown will begin at 9 p.m. ET on DirtVision.

- European Le Mans Series teams will race Sunday at Silverstone Circuit. The race is scheduled to go green at 7 a.m. ET Sunday morning. Coverage will air live on RACER Network starting at 6:45 a.m. ET.

- The Kubota High Limit Sprint Car Series is at Pennsylvania's Lernerville Speedway this weekend for the Commonwealth Clash. Coverage from Lernerville will stream on FLORacing tonight and tomorrow night at 6 p.m. ET.

- World of Outlaws Real American Beer Late Model Series teams will be plenty busy this weekend. Tonight, the series will be at Needmore Speedway for the Needmore Showdown. Coverage will begin tonight at 6:45 p.m. ET on DirtVision.

Tomorrow night, the series moves on to Georgia's Senoia Raceway for the Billy Clanton Classic. Coverage will begin at 5:45 p.m. ET on DirtVision.

FOLLOW THE FRONTSTRETCH THIS WEEKEND THROUGH OUR COLLEAGUES:

BRISTOL:

Dalton Hopkins (@PitLaneCPT)

Mark Kristl (@MarkKristl)

SOUTH BOSTON:

Michael Massie (@m_massie22)

Luken Glover (@RacerLuken)

Also, don't forget to follow our Twitter page, @Frontstretch as well for updates on Bristol!

TV Schedule: Here

Today's Top News:

From Last to First: Layne Riggs Recovers to Win Bristol Truck Race

Layne Riggs recovered from a spin in the opening laps Thursday night to lead 120 laps and win the UNOH 200 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Ben Rhodes was second, then Corey Heim, Ty Majeski and Daniel Hemric.

Ben Rhodes Has Fun in 2nd-Place Run at Bristol

2025 has been a frustrating season for Ben Rhodes. Thursday night was just simply fun for the two-time champion as he scored a second-place finish.

Chandler Smith & Jake Garcia’s ‘Sense of Dread, Sadness & Frustration’ After Bristol

Both Chandler Smith and Jake Garcia had mechanical issues Thursday night at Bristol that eliminated any chance of a decent finish. They're both on the brink of playoff elimination in Loudon.

Brent Crews Grabs Bristol Victory While Isaac Kitzmiller Seals ARCA East Title

Joe Gibbs Racing's Brent Crews led flag-to-flag Thursday night to win the ARCA Menards Series/ARCA Menards Series East Bush's Beans 200. Tristan McKee was second, followed by Brenden Queen, Leland Honeyman and Thomas Annunziata.

(Photo: NASCAR Media via Adam Glanzman of ARCA Racing)

Cleetus McFarland Confirms Return to ARCA Competition in 2026

After Thursday night's Bush's Beans 200, Garrett Mitchell confirmed to Frontstretch that he will be back in the ARCA Menards Series in 2026 with an expanded schedule.

Photos are courtesy of Nigel Kinrade Photography and NASCAR Media via Adam Glanzman of ARCA Racing.

Have news for Frontstretch? Don't hesitate to let us know; email us at frontstretcheditors@googlegroups.com with a promising lead or tip.

Frontstretch Videos:

Kaden Honeycutt & Tyler Ankrum to Move Past Incident at Bristol Motor Speedway

Jake Garcia, Chandler Smith Explain Mechanical Issues, Playoff Situation after Bristol

Cleetus McFarland Reacts to 1st Bristol ARCA Race: "It Kicked My Butt"

Carson Hocevar Gives Cleetus McFarland Advice at Bristol: "I'm Enjoying Watching His Journey"

This is just a sampling of the videos that we uploaded to our YouTube channels from Bristol Thursday. For more from Bristol, or from other race weekends, be sure to subscribe to our suite of YouTube channels (Frontstretch, Frontstretch Grassroots, Frontstretch Plus and FS Open Wheel) and don't forget to click the bell to be notified of future videos.

Newsletter Exclusives:

(Photo: NASCAR Media via Jonathan Bachman of Getty Images)

Frontstretch Folio: Bass Pro Shops Night Race
by Phil Allaway

This weekend, the NASCAR Cup Series makes their second visit of the season to Bristol Motor Speedway in Eastern Tennessee to wrap up the Round of 16. Coverage of the Bass Pro Shops Night Race starts on USA Network with Countdown to Green at 7 p.m. ET Saturday night. Race coverage is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. ET with the green flag scheduled to drop around 7:45 p.m. ET. The race can also be heard on PRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).

Records and facts

Last year's Bass Pro Shops Night Race was completely dominated by Kyle Larson. Larson led 462 of the 500 laps, including the entire final third of the race to take the win.

Larson won by 7.088 seconds over teammate Chase Elliott. Bubba Wallace was third, then Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell.

Amongst active drivers, Kyle Busch has the most victories at Bristol with nine, eight on concrete and one on dirt. Hamlin has five wins, while Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano have three each.

All-time, Darrell Waltrip is the winningest driver in the history of Bristol Motor Speedway with 12 wins, including seven in a row at one point. Kyle Busch, Cale Yarborough, Dale Earnhardt and Rusty Wallace all have nine wins, followed by Kurt Busch with his six victories, then Jeff Gordon and David Pearson with five each.

Track Facts
Track / Race Length: 0.533-mile oval, 500 laps (266.5 miles)
Banking: 24-28 degrees
Straights: 650 ft., banked 4-9 degrees
Grandstand Seating: 153,000
Pit Road Speed: 30 mph
Pace Car Speed: 35 mph
Opened: 1960 (first Cup race in 1961)

Website: http://www.bristolmotorspeedway.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bristolmotorspeedway

Twitter: http://twitter.com/ItsBristolBaby

Pre-Race Schedule:

Practice: Friday, Sept. 12, 4:30 - 5:25 p.m. ET on TruTV/HBO Max

Qualifying: Friday, Sept. 12 at 5:40 p.m. ET on TruTV/HBO Max

Say What!

"Bristol's one of my favorite tracks, if not my favorite. I love going there, it's obviously a great place. It reminds me of the local short track atmosphere that you get on Saturday nights, growing up racing late models and things like that. It’s a lot of fun, I love the banking, I love the concrete and just the nature of that place. It's gotten a little bit tougher over the years to be as good as I once was there. Everybody's kind of picked up on it. It's definitely one of the coolest tracks that we get a chance to go run on. And obviously, the speed that you carry there and the close nature to action, whether you run the bottom or whether you run the top, there's just a lot of options." - Kyle Busch

"What makes Bristol scary is the five degree temperature swing that it takes to make zero tire wear to tires turning into string cheese. If we have beautiful weather at Bristol, God knows what the race is going to look like. And we have a new red set of tires. So, your guess is as good as mine to what will happen. It’s a difficult racetrack for the cars mechanically. That and just the fact that, if one car wrecks 20 cars ahead of you, it could block the track, and your race can be over too. So, yeah, a nice race to go into to have a points buffer for sure." - Austin Cindric

"I felt good at Bristol in the spring. I honestly thought we had a really solid race car. I’m looking forward to going back there with the changes that we’ve made and the things that we’ve found in our race car to hopefully go faster than we did in the spring." - John Hunter Nemechek

Phil Allaway is the Newsletter Manager for Frontstretch. He can be reached via e-mail at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com. Photo is courtesy of Nigel Kinrade Photography.

Today at Frontstretch:

Friday Faceoff: Would a 4-Race Final Round Improve the NASCAR Playoffs?

by the Frontstretch Staff

4 Burning Questions: Is This JGR’s Championship To Lose?

by Tanner Marlar

Dropping the Hammer: Magic in the Middle of Nowhere

by Daniel McFadin

NASCAR TV Schedule This Weekend: Bristol, Sept. 11 – 13

by Phil Allaway

NASCAR Weekend Weather Forecast: Bristol

by Phil Allaway

Tracking the Trucks: If Anyone Can Beat Corey Heim, It’s Layne Riggs

by Anthony Damcott

Bringing the Heat: From the Pacific Northwest to Xfinity, Kole Raz Enjoying Opportunities

with Caleb Barnes, Dalton Hopkins, Trey Lyle and Kole Raz

Short Track Weekly: Why Bubba Pollard is Heating Up At the Right Time

by Reid Scott

Tomorrow at Frontstretch.com:

We'll have recaps and breakdowns of all the action from Bristol and South Boston.

Talk Back!

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