NASCAR Irwin Tools Night Race 2014 preview: Chase spot on the line at Bristol

Bristol Motor Speedway is where old scores are settled and new feuds ignited. The high-banked, high-speed, half-mile oval is where the line of racing decorum is blurred into a maelstrom.

Best described as a tinderbox just waiting to erupt, Bristol has a tendency to bring out a ferocity not seen most weeks, featuring drivers more than willing to bully their way to the front. That proverbial match will in almost all certainty be sparked at some point during Saturday’s Irwin Tool Night Race.

As if the intensity wasn’t already at a crescendo, NASCAR raised the stakes -- a win virtually locks a driver into the Chase for the Sprint Cup. And with just three regular season races remaining before the playoffs, for those still winless a hint of desperation is starting to permeate in the garage.

“There is a lot of pressure when it comes to (making the Chase) and I’m very happy and very fortunate to be in the position we are,” said Joey Logano, who has a pair of victories this season. “I think this is gonna be one of the first races where that panic mode is really gonna set in like, ‘OK, we have to win or we’re out,’ and I think that’s gonna start coming into play in our races quite a bit.”

While Logano may be fortunate not to be on the Chase bubble, many don’t enjoy that luxury. For them Bristol represents one of the few remaining opportunities to cement their playoff status. Included on that list are Matt Kenseth, Clint Bowyer, Greg Biffle and Kasey Kahne, among others.

Of that group, only Kenseth is in solid position points-wise (fifth overall, the highest of the non-winners) to be immune to the pressure of having to treat Bristol like a must-win. For the others, win on Saturday night and you’re in, otherwise your hopes hinge precariously on the final two weeks of the regular season.

“Certainly all Bristol races are rough, so to speak, and this is a tough place -- a really, really tough place -- and I think you’ve got to really be on offense and defense,” Biffle said. “You come in here and run as hard as you can. We’re here to win and we feel like we run in the top 10 about every time we’re at Bristol and that’s the position you need to be in to put yourself in a position to win.”

Though the straightest approach, wining isn’t the only avenue to Chase eligibility. As it stands now four spots are open to those ranked highest in points who haven’t won. Currently nine points ahead of Kahne, Biffle is the last driver on the cutline and would be in if the playoffs began today.

That teetering between in and out creates an interesting dichotomy. Biffle must doggedly pursue victory, while at the same time being mindful of being too aggressive and doing something that could cause him to lose his hold on the final wildcard slot.

“Everybody wants to finish the race,” Biffle said. “You take chances and passes and all the things you can do, but at the same time we know we’re on that bubble in points. I feel it’s gonna take a win still to get in this thing and that’s what we’re going for.”

But as Watkins Glen winner AJ Allmendinger explained, the emphasis on winning “works both ways.” For himself and the other 11 drivers with victories to their name, being conservative serves little purpose. Already locked into the Chase, there is no concern about points either at Bristol or the duration of the regular season, which concludes Sept. 6 at Richmond International Raceway.

“In our position to a certain degree we don’t care,” Allmendinger said. “For everybody, really, if you have a chance to win you are going to take it. To me I think it’s going to be a fun Saturday night and there is going to be a lot of excitement. There is going to be some desperation. To me that is what makes racing the most fun.”