Someone’s pockets will get a little bit deeper Saturday afternoon at Bristol Motor Speedway.
The Xfinity Series’ Alsco 300 will pit 37 cars against each other for the win. But there will be a race within the race during the 300-lap event that ends with someone winning $100,000.
The race is the opening round of the annual four-race Dash 4 Cash program.
Each race sees four drivers compete for the $100K bonus. Those drivers are determined by the highest-placing series regulars in the previous race.
The lineup for Bristol – Tyler Reddick, Michael Annett, Chase Briscoe and Christopher Bell — was determined the same way last weekend at Texas Motor Speedway.
To top it off, no drivers who are earning points in the Cup Series are permitted to compete in the fours races, which will be held at Bristol, Richmond Raceway (April 12), Talladega Superspeedway (April 27) and Dover International Speedway (May 4).
Here’s at look at each driver’s season so far and how they’ve fared at Bristol in the past.
Chase Briscoe – Stewart-Haas Racing’s No. 98 Ford
Briscoe has 23 Xfinity starts under his belt, yet he’s still classified as a rookie this year.
He’s earned two top fives this season (one in 2018) and four top 10s (four in 2018).
Saturday’s race marks his third Xfinity start at Bristol and first time competing in the Dash 4 Cash. The $100,000 is “definitely the most money” Briscoe has ever competed for.
“We’re racing three other guys and we don’t even have to win the race to win that bonus,” Briscoe said Wednesday on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio’s “The Morning Drive.” “You can’t let your emotions get the best of you early in the race because you’ve got to be there at the end. More than likely you’re going to have to win the race to win the Dash 4 Cash, but there’s that chance where you might finish 25th and the other three guys all wreck and you win the bonus.
“But you got to be there and you got to be running at the end to have a chance. You have to keep your composure and it’s so easy to lose it at Bristol. If you’re in a good race car you can normally overcome getting knocked out of the way in a corner.”
Briscoe will attempt to better his two Bristol results from last year of 23rd and 34th (wreck).
Michael Annett – JR Motorsports No. 1 Chevrolet
Michael Annett has a lot to smile about.
The veteran of 235 Xfinity races is off to the best start of his Xfinity career five races after he earned his first win at Daytona.
Revitalized in part by new crew chief Travis Mack, Annett has two top fives, his most since 2012 and four top 10s, which bests his 2018 total by one. He also has an average finish of 7.5 through six races, which trails only Reddick among series regulars.
“I have one of those $100,000 checks from 2012 (at Indianapolis), and sure would like another one to keep it company,” Annett said in a media release. “Having a chance at $100,000 is amazing, and to have it happen at Bristol is even better. We were seventh there in the fall … and that was the first top-10 finish we had with Travis Mack as crew chief. There’s a lot of good momentum for our team right now, and winning that Dash 4 Cash prize would add a bunch to that.”
Tyler Reddick – Richard Childress Racing’s No. 2 Chevrolet
After a late push in 2018 that ended with him winning the Xfinity title, Reddick is doing a good job of backing it up this year.
Reddick leads the point standings despite not earning a win through six races. He has a series-leading four top fives, five top 10s and an average finish of 6.2.
Now he takes that momentum to the high-banks of Bristol, where he has three series starts. His best finish was seventh in this race last year.
“It’s one of my most challenging tracks,” Reddick said in a media release. “Last year, I finished well but those races are just so tough. Hopefully, this year, my crew chief Randall Burnett and the team can help me have a better balance throughout the weekend. It’s tough because if your car isn’t great at Bristol, you can struggle a lot with the constant traffic you’re in while racing around.
“You really have no time to recover if you make a mistake, especially since you spend more time in the corners of the track rather than the straightaways. If things don’t go right, it can make for a long day, but with how we’ve been running lately I have faith our No. 2 Dolly Parton Chevrolet Camaro will be fast right off the hauler.”
Christopher Bell – Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 20 Toyota.
Bell enters Saturday’s race participating in his third Dash 4 Cash.
He looks to follow-up Ryan Preece‘s winning effort in this race last year for Joe Gibbs Racing to win the $100,000 bonus.
Bell, who has four starts in “Thunder Valley” across the Xfinity and Truck Series is still seeking his first win at one of his favorite tracks. A win on Saturday would give him two on the season.
“Bristol is P1 or P2 on my favorite tracks list, that’s for sure,” Bell said in a media release. “It’s so much fun because the track is so fast, it’s so small and you have to deal with lapped traffic. You really have to think your way around Bristol and it’s an attack place, you can’t just cruise around there, which makes it a lot of fun. I’m really excited to get back there.”
