Bristol Motor Speedway is basically a pressure cooker with banking. If you've ever stood near the glass at the start-finish line, you know the sound doesn't just hit your ears—it rattles your teeth. People always want to know who won the race at Bristol because, honestly, winning here is a different kind of badge of honor. It’s not like winning at a superspeedway where you might just get lucky in a draft. At Bristol, you have to fight for every single inch of concrete, and usually, you leave a little bit of your car's paint on someone else's bumper to get it done.
The Most Recent King of the Concrete
If we're talking about the most recent trip to the "World’s Fastest Half-Mile," the name you need to know is Christopher Bell.
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During the 2025 Bass Pro Shops Night Race in mid-September, Bell absolutely stole the show. It wasn't one of those races where the winner leads from start to finish, either. That’s the beauty of the Night Race—it’s a playoff elimination event, so the desperation is dialed up to eleven. Bell only led 12 laps the entire night. Think about that for a second. You run 500 laps, and the guy who only shows up at the front for about 2% of the race takes home the trophy.
He was driving the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota and basically used a late-race restart on lap 497 to vault from fourth to first. He had to hold off Brad Keselowski, who was hungry to end a massive winless streak. Keselowski actually gave him a "square shot" to the rear bumper in the final corner—standard Bristol behavior—but Bell kept it straight and crossed the line just 0.343 seconds ahead.
Kyle Larson’s Absolute Clinic in 2025
Before Bell's late-race heroics, Kyle Larson reminded everyone why he's considered one of the best to ever sit in a stock car. In April 2025, during the Food City 500, Larson didn't just win; he put on a masterclass.
He led 411 out of 500 laps.
That kind of dominance is rare in modern NASCAR. He swept both stages and finished over two seconds ahead of Denny Hamlin. It was an emotional win for the No. 5 team, too. Larson dedicated the victory to his friend and PR rep, Jon Edwards, who had passed away earlier that week. When Larson is "on" at Bristol, he’s almost untouchable. He has this way of running the high line right against the wall that looks terrifying to anyone else but seems like a Sunday drive for him.
Looking Back at 2024: A Tale of Two Bristols
The 2024 season was a weird one for Bristol. We had the spring race where the tires basically disintegrated, and then the fall race where Larson (him again) broke records.
- The 2024 Night Race (September 21, 2024): This was another Larson blowout. He led 462 laps. If you’re keeping track, Larson has basically owned the lead at Bristol for the better part of the last two years. He won by seven seconds over Chase Elliott, which is an eternity on a short track.
- The 2024 Food City 500 (March 17, 2024): This is the one fans still talk about because of the tires. Goodyear brought a compound that wore out incredibly fast. It turned into a "throwback" race where drivers couldn't just floor it. They had to manage their equipment. Denny Hamlin won this one, proving that his short-track IQ is still top-tier. He beat Martin Truex Jr. in a battle of tire preservation.
Who Won the Race at Bristol: Recent Winners Breakdown
| Date | Race Name | Winner | Car | Laps Led |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept 13, 2025 | Bass Pro Shops Night Race | Christopher Bell | Toyota | 12 |
| April 13, 2025 | Food City 500 | Kyle Larson | Chevrolet | 411 |
| Sept 21, 2024 | Bass Pro Shops Night Race | Kyle Larson | Chevrolet | 462 |
| March 17, 2024 | Food City 500 | Denny Hamlin | Toyota | 163 |
Why Winning Bristol is Different
The stats are one thing, but the "how" is another. Bristol has these 30-degree banks. Imagine trying to park your car on the side of a steep roof—that’s what the turns are like. When 40 cars are packed in there, the air gets turbulent, the brakes get glowing red, and the tempers usually flare.
When you ask who won the race at Bristol, you're usually looking for a driver who can handle the "bump and run." In the 2025 Night Race, Christopher Bell proved you don't need the fastest car all night; you just need to be the bravest on the last restart. Meanwhile, Larson’s wins prove that if you can find the "clean air" up front, you can sometimes check out and leave the chaos behind you.
What to Watch for Next Time
Next time the Cup Series rolls into Tennessee, watch the tire strategy. Ever since that 2024 spring race where tires were shredding, teams have been obsessed with "rubbering in" the track. If the track takes the rubber, Larson is the favorite. If the tires wear out and it becomes a chess match, look for veterans like Hamlin or Keselowski to find a way to the front.
If you're looking to dive deeper into the current standings or want to see the full lap-by-lap breakdown of Bell's 2025 victory, check out the official NASCAR results page or the Bristol Motor Speedway archives. The next race at the "Last Great Colosseum" is always just around the corner, and if history tells us anything, the winner will have to earn every bit of that trophy.
To stay ahead of the next race, make sure you track the practice speeds the Friday before the event. Bristol is one of those tracks where practice actually translates to race day performance. If a guy is fast in a 20-lap stint during practice, he's probably going to be the one to beat on Sunday. Keep an eye on the No. 5 and No. 20 cars—they've clearly figured out the secret sauce for the concrete.