All language subtitles for NASCAR.Full.Speed.S01E02.NF.WEB.h264-EDITH.en[cc]

-[Bubba] We're in here?
-[man] Yeah, yeah, right this way.

Do-do-do-do.

This must be the Netflix crew.
[sighs] Oh, man.

Is this like the Drive to Survive
moment when they sit down

and get all situated?

Is that what we're goin' for?

[interviewer]
Bubba, congratulations.

Welcome to media day.
Welcome to the playoffs.

How you feelin'?

Not as good as you.

You got a lotta energy
for this early in the mornin'.

Appreciate it. Yeah, you too.

Glad you're not yelling anymore.

Willy B. It's media day, always good.

Yeah.

All right. Let's get the tiniest chair.

-[man] I know, right?
-Holy shit.

I'm Bubba Wallace and I live my passion
for NASCAR here on Fox Sports 3.

Watch the NASCAR Cup Series
playoffs live on Motowizja.

BandSports, home of NASCAR in Brazil.

"What is your favorite thing about racing
in the NASCAR Cup Series?"

That's not for me. Yeah.
[laughs]

Be sure to watch
the kickoff race at Darlington.

100% this is the worst part.

-Have you ever played beer pong?
-No, I have not.

-I have not played.
-You ever had a beer?

Feel it, like, "Fuck, yes."
You know what I mean? Like, feel it.

Number one. Yes, sir.
Right there, right there.

Yes! Whoo!

Maybe like a little chin up on that one.
You're like, "Here's your shit."

"Come and get this thing." Let's see it.
"You want this thing, come take it."

[interviewer 2] With Darlington coming up,
how active are the pit crews?

-The big moments from you in the playoffs.
-How's workin' with Denny Hamlin?

[interviewer 3] Do you prefer road courses
or oval tracks, and why?

[Bubba] I prefer road courses 'cause
I just love the struggle.

Am I goin' right there?

-We showered.
-I didn't.

The best part about making the playoffs
for the first time is "blank."

-Is that I made the playoffs, finally.
-[all chuckle]

-We've run fairly well...
-As long as the cars are

-up to speed...
-Loggin' the miles...

Michael Jordan or LeBron James?

LeBron James could never
match what MJ does.

Yahtzee! Bingo!
Connect Four! There we go.

Who's the championship for? Names only.

Truex, Byron, Larson.

23 car.

Am I done? Okay.

[gentle rock music plays]

-We are rolling.
-Set.

[interviewer speaking]

The playoffs in NASCAR are different
than the playoffs everywhere else.

Points in the playoffs
come from a stage win or a race win.

Ten races, 16 drivers start out.
Go to three races and eliminate four guys.

Now you move on to the next three races.

Guys at the bottom four are eliminated,
they move out.

Go to three more races,
eliminate four more guys.

Until you get to four in the final race.

Everyone is out there
at the same time,

but there's only four cars
that can win the championship.

To advance into the next round,
you can either win a race

or you have enough cumulative points
to be above the cut line.

You never wanna be in the bottom four.

We are sitting P16, the last car in.

We have three races to
make up some ground.

The first round you gotta be
in the top 12 by kickin' ass.

That's what you do, you gotta go
out there and you gotta do well.

-[toy car whirs]
-[Joey] Whoa!

Hang on, Huddy.

All right, well you can just
run it into the ground, bud.

You made it go a little faster.

[Joey] Okay, J.

Okay. Okay, all right.
All right, okay. Don't hit your sister.

Don't hit your sister. Oh, jeez!

[baby cries]

Was that an accident or did
you mean to run into her?

-Baby, it's okay.
-You're good! It's okay.

[baby wails]

[Joey] I think you're okay, Sensodyne.

[upbeat rock music]

[Steve] Joey Logano's the most valuable
driver in the entire garage area.

If I was given the opportunity
to create a team

from scratch and had
all the money in the world

and said, "Who's our anchor driver?"
Joey Logano is my pick.

A two-time champion,

he's well-spoken
both in the media and with his team.

He's what I call a franchise driver.

I met Jeff Gordon when I was seven.

I thought it was
the coolest thing in the world.

I was just like every other
little kid that loved cars.

I got a go-kart for Christmas,
and that was what I wanted to do

every single day
I got home from school.

This car was the very beginning,

and for some reason
my parents held onto it,

which is so cool that they didn't sell it.

I fell in love with it, mainly
'cause I could win at it.

That was it. Like, I tried other sports,
I sucked at 'em.

Like, this was it.

-[Hudson] I need a steering wheel.
-Do you?

-Yeah.
-Okay.

Take it easy for a minute and figure out
where you're goin', okay?

So much for takin' it easy.

I started racing at a young age.

The youngest in this, youngest in that.
I moved up at a very aggressive rate.

I just jumped in cars and won.
I had enough talent to just win.

[commentator] We're gonna be
hearing about Joey Logano

for a couple more
decades to come here.

[Shannon] There was a lot put on
Joey Logano at a very young age.

Before he had even set foot
at a NASCAR track,

everybody knew who Joey Logano was,

and that's a lotta pressure
for an 18-year-old.

[Joey] I was used to
winning at that point.

And then you get to the Cup level.
Nope. I got my butt kicked.

Ultimately, I lost my job.

I've had those rumors
that I was gonna be replaced,

and I guess I'm gonna get the hint.

And that's when
Team Penske picked me up.

[crew member] Just do your thing
and rip it.

All the stars lined up perfectly.

Best second chance
you can ever ask for.

[commentator] Joey Logano takes
the checkered flag at Michigan.

[Joey] Daytona 500, guys, yeah!

[commentator]
It's Joey Logano who wins.

-[Joey] Yeah!
-His first-ever Cup Series Championship.

Logano has just stepped into elite status.

[Dale] Take him out of the race car
from Monday to Friday

and you would not think that
he was a race car driver.

-Yo, stop!
-[Dale] You'd think that he was

-an insurance salesman.
-[Joey] Pull it in!

When he gets behind the wheel,
he turns into somethin' else.

[cars roar]

[Joey] I was the most aggressive
driver on the racetrack.

[commentator] Logano taking frustrations
out in sheet metal.

And that really ticked people off.

[commentator 1] It doesn't look like
the conversation's going all that well.

That was my advantage.
That's what set me apart.

It's honestly who I am.

Stop. Stop!

I don't care about
making friends at race track.

I don't want to be friends
with any of 'em.

I want to win, and I'll do it at all cost.

He's been non-apologetic,
he's made a lot of enemies along the way,

now you have to respect him
because of the trophies

that he has in that trophy case.

[Dale] He always has a knack, too,
of sort of surviving.

Comes out of nowhere
and gets something outta nothing.

He did this last year
when he won the championship.

[commentator] And Joey Logano is the 2022

-NASCAR Cup Series champion.
-Yeah!

[Joey] Take that, baby!

[all cheering]

-[upbeat music]
-[go kart rumbles]

[Joey] Last year was great.

Got a big trophy last year.

Now we're tryin' to get another one.

[insects chitter]

[Mike] Welcome back
to The Morning Drive!

Twenty-two minutes after the hour,
the wait is nearly over.

The NASCAR playoffs are upon us.

Round One kicking off this weekend

and it includes big names
like Denny Hamlin.

He's had a great season,

although the Number 11 team does have
to clean up its work in the pits.

Last weekend, they had
challenges in Daytona,

and that will not cut it in Darlington.

-Are you eating outside, Taylor?
-[Taylor] I'm jumping in the pool.

Do it, do it! One, two, three, go!

You said jumping in the pool,
not stepping in the pool.

-It's cold.
-Come on, do it.

Let me eat one more bite
of my food. I'm hungry.

Nice little Barbie outfit you got there.

I know. I'm wearing Molly's,
but I don't care.

I don't wanna get changed.

[Denny] One, two, three, go!

-I did it.
-Yeah!

I did it! Oh, my God!
That feels so much better.

[Denny] It is still a team sport, even
though the drivers get all the fanfare.

You may not know their names.
Those pit crew members,

they have such a crucial role
in everything that happens.

And at Daytona,
I felt like that was the case.

They know they fucked up.

Nobody wants to have
a problem on pit road.

They're gonna work on it and fix it.

[drill rattles]

[Brian] There you go, guys.

Concentrate on these exchanges here.
Little bit we can clean up on exchanges.

At Darlington, pit stops
will play just as much a role

in the result of the day
as the drivers behind the wheel.

-[Brian] Ready, three, two, one.
-[drill rattles]

[Marty] In Darlington, the surface is
so gritty that it chews tires alive.

You have to have a brilliant
crew chief who strategizes very well

and then directs a pit crew
that is flawless on pit road.

[intense music]

[radio host] You need to make
more pit stops in Darlington

than probably any other track we race.

We're talkin' like 10, 12,
maybe even 13 versus, say,

the four you'll make at Daytona.

That leads to the opportunity
for more mistakes.

You're either gonna mess up or take
advantage of someone else's mistake.

And, of course, that brings us back
to Denny Hamlin in Daytona.

What you think, Brian?

Last thing I thought was gonna happen is
we'd get over the wall too soon.

If it's gonna happen, I'm glad it happened
before the playoffs started 'cause

-you know what I mean?
-I know. It'll never happen again.

[cars roar]

[Chris] Your pit crew can only be in the
box right before your car gets there

because it's dangerous.

In Daytona, we got over
the wall a little bit too soon there

and pulled the tear off.

That's a penalty. In this case,
we had to come back down pit road

at 55 miles an hour,
all the way down pit road,

while all the cars are running
around 190 miles an hour,

and ultimately caused us to go a lap down
and never was able to recover.

[Chris] How are these guys takin' it?

They're pros, they'll be all right.

-It's a tough deal.
-Yeah.

Use this as an opportunity
to get better and prove

that you belong, and they've done that.

I've been really proud of 'em.
They've been badass.

Headin' into a week like Darlington,
where you're gonna have 10 to 12 pit stops

in the Southern 500, it's a big deal.

These guys are the stars this coming week.

[Brian] There you go, guys. Nice job.
Good finish. 8:35 there.

[Dale] When I think about Denny Hamlin
and what tracks he's great at,

Darlington comes to mind.

Man, when you win two, three,
four races at this place,

you're drivin' the stake in the ground.

When I'm setting my fantasy lineup
for Darlington, Denny's in.

I expect him to be up front,
runnin' well all night long.

[Steve] Is there
a more perfect test of team

and driver to kick off
the playoffs than the Southern 500?

[Dale]
No, this is the perfect spot.

[Marty]
Darlington has two nicknames,

the "Lady in Black"
and the "Track Too Tough to Tame."

If you disrespect the Lady in Black,
she's gon' bite your ass.

[Dale] To start the playoffs at probably
the most intimidating race track of all

is a nasty little trick by NASCAR.
[chuckles]

[Joey] Playoffs change people.
Pressure changes people.

We've seen plenty of times where
the guy that we all expect to be in

can be knocked out
in the first round or two.

All it takes is two bad races,
and you're out.

I've never really looked too deep
into favorites or any of that

'cause I've been the favorite,

I've been the underdog,
and it just doesn't matter.

[audience booing]

[airplanes roar]

-[Molly] Good luck.
-Thanks, boo-boo.

-I love you.
-[Molly] I love you too.

[man] Denny, good luck, man.
We'll see ya.

[commentator] A win,
if you're a playoff driver,

you'll advance to the next round.

[car rumbles]

-[cars rumble]
-[suspenseful music]

[suspenseful music continues]

-Green, green, green.
-[cars roar]

[commentator] The Cook Out Southern 500
is under the green flag.

[cars roar]

The playoffs are underway
right now here at Darlington.

[crew member]
45, you're leader.

[Marty] At Darlington,
the high line is the fastest one.

You wanna be right up against that wall,
and invariably you're gonna hit it.

[commentator] Hamlin's in the inside.

Reddick scuffs the wall.
He checks up and Hamlin's got the lead.

[Marty] You're gonna leave paint
all the way down the wall,

and you're gonna tear up
the right side of your car,

which is what creates
the Darlington stripe,

and that is a badge of honor
for everyone.

If you don't leave with a stripe,
you weren't close enough to the wall.

[crew member] Bubba, your lane by one.
Inside on the bottom.

[commentator] Wallace...

[commentator 1] Trouble comin' off turn 4.

-That's Bubba Wallace.
-Bubba was on the inside

of the 22 car, Logano.

[Joey] What an idiot.

[commentator 2] I would expect Logano
and his team to be workin' on that car.

[crew member] We'll come in,
change tires, and we'll open the hood,

try to work on it.

[Paul] Hold on, hold on.

[crew member]
What do you see there, Paul?

[commentator] Joey Logano, he is about
to go a lap down to Denny Hamlin,

the driver out front.

[Chris] Three, two, one.

Four tires. On the jack.

-[suspenseful music]
-[drills rattle faintly]

[car roars]

[Chris] Darlington is a great track for Denny.

When he gets a leg up
on the competition

at a place like Darlington,
they're in trouble.

Green checkered, right here.
Really nice work.

[commentator] Denny Hamlin
is gonna win stage one,

which means another playoff point.

[Denny]
This is the start of the playoffs.

This is an opportunity to make
a statement right off the bat

that we were the best. We did that.

[commentator] Denny Hamlin has been
the dominant driver.

[commentator 1] If you're lookin'
for somebody

that knows his way around
the Track Too Tough to Tame,

don't look any further than Denny Hamlin.

[Mary Lou] I think he's capable.

Anything can happen
with 40 other cars on track.

[commentator] Denny Hamlin,
he's now led 176 laps.

So far, so good.

[commentator 1] Denny Hamlin
is gonna get here first.

-Yeah!
-And he will score the stage-two win.

[Mary Lou] We don't talk about what
happens at the end of the race.

She's like, "Don't say it!
Don't say anything!"

Just hoping for the best,
that he doesn't have any bad luck.

[Denny]
I probably should pit, right?

[Chris] Yeah, come on. Come on.

It is an extremely difficult race
to get to the end to.

Four tires. On the jack.

Because it's so easy
to make a mistake there

and tear up the car.

All the way out.

But, man, we were executin' well,
right up until we weren't.

[commentator] Reddick fighting with Hamlin,

running one and two before
the pit stop cycle started.

Reddick now in front of Hamlin.

[Denny] Chris, I might have a loose wheel.

[Chris] I hear ya.
We're talkin' about it.

[commentator] A problem for the playoff
driver who's led the most laps today.

[Chris] The lug nut didn't spool up
quite as fast as it normally did.

Just not quite tight enough.

[Denny] I don't have time.
I gotta come.

[Chris] Denny quickly
realized there was a problem

and had to bring it back to pit road.

Just a fraction of a miscue.

The naked eye couldn't
even detect the error.

[commentator 1] This is gonna
be a dagger for Denny Hamlin.

Hamlin had driven
a perfect race to this point.

Chris Gabehart even said
the crew has been perfect.

[commentator] He will settle in
one lap down.

-[tense music plays]
-[cars roar]

[crew member] I don't know if I skimmed it
or if it popped back.

[crew member 1] Fuck!

[commentator] Once again, a battle for
the lead as Reddick has the momentum,

but he's right in
the tire tracks of Larson.

Logano, some of the others,

they've come up the leaderboard,
but they've stalled out.

[Dale] At this point,
you've gotta take everything you can.

[commentator 1]
Lookin' to win the Southern 500!

Kyle Larson, he's gonna do it!

[Kyle] Southern 500, baby!
Hell, yeah!

-[triumphant music]
-[car rumbles]

-[audience cheers]
-[fireworks thunder]

[commentator] Denny Hamlin
dominated so much of this race

but then problems on pit road.

He finishes all the way back in 25th.

[Chris] Look, I don't really care.

I care, but I don't care.
You shoulda won.

-All right.
-Yeah.

See you.

[Joey] Just more frustrated in myself.

Made two mistakes and then
I ran into the wall a third time.

We move on to Kansas,
just like we were,

no matter what happened today.

I got some stuff to clean up

and we gotta have a solid run next week.
Next two weeks.

[man] You're gonna win it, man.

[Denny] We finished 25th.

The record book's gonna show 25th.

Everyone's tryin' hard,
the pit crew killed it all day long.

The wheel was still tightening
when the gun came off.

That's actually the first one I've had.

I hadn't had a loose wheel,
but I had one today.

[man 1] Bye, Denny.
You'll get it next time, bud.

[Denny] You don't get cars
that good that often.

[man 2] Denny, you're my dawg!

[Denny]
I don't know, I'll get over it.

Honestly, had we not
won stages, you know,

it would have been a tough one.

It's fuckin' sports, man.
[chuckles] It's fuckin' sports.

Winning in Cup Series
is like winning in golf.

I feel like the win rate
is about the same.

If you're killing it,
you're winning six percent of the time,

it's just not...
It's just hard. It's so hard.

How many races have you done?

-Six hundred.
-[Molly] That's too many.

-I know.
-Is that, like, whole career?

Only won 50. Ugh.

How many should I win?

-[Taylor] One hundred.
-One hundred.

-[Denny] A hundred?
-Out of six...

Who won the race? Do you know?

[Taylor] Come on, now.
You know these people.

Audrey's dad, come on.

Yeah, I know
but I can't think of his name.

K-K-K-K-K-K-K-K-Kyle.

-Kyle Larson.
-Yes!

He hit the Lotto today.

I hit the "Didn't Screw Up
Sweepstakes."

[commentator] A long day and into the night
for the 5 Team and Kyle Larson.

With the win, he advances
to the round of 12.

And now, Rick Hendrick
has amassed

299 career wins.

He's one away
from that milestone number of 300.

[Rick] Forty years is a long time if you
talk about this fine facility and all.

We started with almost nothin'
and four or five people.

And here we are today
tryin' to come to 300 wins

and our 15th championship.

The thing about this company
is we refuse to give up.

The most important thing is for us

to build momentum through
the rest of these races.

-Thank you, guys.
-[all applaud]

Yeah, hey, I love the color-coordinated,
except for this guy.

We're just happy
he has pants on today.

Kyle, I'll start with you.

This year, you guys've had
some fast cars.

I think what all of us wanna know is
how you're gonna race Denny Hamlin.

[audience laughs]

You're a multi-time champion.
How would you go about it?

I'd put the bumper
to him as fast as I can.

[audience laughs, applauds]

Well, William, man,
I've seen you mature.

I think we've all watched.
You came here young.

Now you're startin' to mature up to...

right now I'd say, the favorite, right,

if there was one,
to win this championship.

So, how is that
weight on your shoulders?

How does that feel?
Put me inside the head of William Byron.

[William] We get stats during the week
about how fast our car was,

what the adjusted speed of the car was.

You're asking yourself,

"Okay is that good enough
or do I need to

clean up some things
to be a little bit faster?"

My comfort level
with understanding the race car

and talking with the guys
and bein' one of them, like,

all that stuff has come with time,

but I love to study the race
and study the metrics and data.

So these glasses are, like, they flash.

So it forces you
to remember the image.

Instead of getting
a full movement profile

you just get data points.

This forces your brain
to have to work faster.

I know it can be motivating
to dream and visualize

but I've never thought that way.

The thing I have going for me is
everything I've seen on video

and trust in that
present focus that I have.

I'm good at this one.
It's the spatial.

300's on the line.

We've gotta step up
our game to another level.

[commentator] Race two on the round of 16
is set for Sunday in Kansas.

Meanwhile, in terms of
points in the standings,

William Byron leads that count,
followed by Tyler Reddick,

and then Chris Buescher
and Denny Hamlin,

who are safely above
the cut line, for now.

[dramatic music]

[Denny] You know, I usually try
to go to the 23XI new shop

at least twice a week
to kind of check in on progress,

from carpet, to tile,
to countertops, to paint.

That is officially done.
And now I just check on construction.

As I walk through there,
each and every time,

it's exactly how I envisioned
it was going to be.

All right. New home.

They've finally paved a little bit.

This is a long game that we're playing,
and we're setting ourselves up

to be that championship-contending team.

People forget we're still
in the very early stages.

We're still growing.

Question. If we shift
the ceiling design over,

will it then be centered with the front,
not centered with the back?

I'm just saying,
does that make any sense,

or am I talkin' out of my ass,
which I could be?

I feel like I probably
get in the weeds too much.

Where's the book?
This is a pain in the ass.

I love design.
I've always loved architecture.

This took it to another level,
when you've got

115,000-square-foot race shop
that you're buildin' for your team.

As you can see, the windows
are definitely at a 23-degree angle.

It's red and black over
on the competition side

for the Chicago Bulls.

UNC blue and white
over on the business side.

When you see it from the inside,
the outside,

you know this is a Jordan building.

It matters to me and Michael.

Michael's involved in design
as much as I am,

so I know that we have the same vision,

so it's my job to be
the boots on the ground here at the shop,

to make sure that I'm playing out
the vision that both of us have.

Michael came in and says
he wants elephant print and camo

on the bottom, so we gotta change that.
Gotta change it a little bit.

Winning a championship as a team owner,
that's a long-term goal.

Ultimately, my loyalty
runs first with the 11 car.

I'm trying to win a championship
as a driver before I hang up the helmet,

whenever that might be.

One of our cars at 23XI,
Tyler Reddick in the 45,

he's already won a couple races.

They've exceeded expectations
most of the year.

He's an obstacle that I must
get around if I'm gonna make it

to race for a championship.

[Tyler] You got a train of cars goin'.

Oh, my gosh, you just wrecked!

-Which is you favorite?
-Tyler Reddick.

[producer speaking]

I had to win a championship,
not just a race.

It was a pretty good bet.

[commentator] It's NASCAR Xfinity Series.

A championship will be won today.

[commentator 1] The NASCAR Xfinity series,
the AAA of NASCAR,

the series just below
the big league level.

[commentator 2] It's an awesome experience because
you've worked your whole life to be here.

This could be a career-definin' date.

Me and Alexa are pregnant.
We were goin' back and forth

on what we're gonna name our kid.
We haven't found middle ground.

We're on opposite ends of it,
and she was basically like,

"If you can win this championship,
you can name our son Beau

or whatever else you'd like.
But if you lose it,

I get to name our kid whatever I like."

[Alexa speaking]

She said Riker.

[Alexa speaking]

But it was spelled like Rikers Island,

not spelled like William Riker
from Star Trek.

[commentator] Green flag's in the air!

[Tyler] I was motivated. "There's no way
I'm gonna lose this championship."

And that's what put me over the edge.

[commentator 1] The 2019 NASCAR
Xfinity Series Championship

belongs to Tyler Reddick.

[Tyler] That was for all you guys that... baby!

So I got to name my son Beau.

[Alexa speaking]

[Tyler] Throughout my childhood,

I'd be in the bus or in the back
of the hauler playing

with a couple other friends.

We'd just be in kid mode, right?

Soon as my dad or our dads
would come lookin' for us,

it's like, "All right,
we gotta get in the car. It's time to go."

We would just lock in and then
go out there and race each other.

-I love you.
-I love you, too.

[Tyler] To an extent, I've always
been able to flip that switch.

You know, when you race
for 23 years, mindset, all that stuff,

is almost more normal
than just a regular day.

[commentator] Right now,
it is the Hollywood Casino 400

from the Kansas Speedway
on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.

Now we just need to get
stage points and go in

to Bristol in a really good spot.

Above all else, I'd love to get a win
and not have to worry about it at all,

but we'll just see how this race unfolds.

[Dale] Tyler Reddick, if he could move
into the next round on the day

that 23XI is starting
its 100th race as an organization,

that would be a monumental day.

[commentator 1] Tyler Reddick,
Bubba Wallace, 23, 11.

[commentator 2] This is gonna be
a big day for this team.

[female fan speaking]

-Where?
-You signed it last October,

and I told you I was gonna get it,
and you won, so I had to get it.

[Bubba] Crazy. I like it.

You're here.

-Where are you going?
-I don't know.

You were on a mission, dude.

I think I was looking for somethin' blue.

[Bootie] I don't care
what anybody says,

no one knew that Bubba could
be the driver he is now

and I think he's still... you know?

[dramatic music]

Well, let's just add an hour to that.

[commentator] Joey Logano's
champion in the sport,

and he is on the crucible
of falling outta the playoffs.

They've got to perform today!

-[crew member] Three minutes.
-[Freddie] Let's go!

-[audience cheers]
-[car rumbles]

-[cars rumble]
-[dramatic music continues]

[Bootie] Let's go to work.

-[Bubba] Yessir!
-[cars roar]

[commentator] Race number two
of the playoffs is underway.

-[cars roar]
-[upbeat music]

-Speakin' of speed...
-[Bubba] Man!

[commentator1] Bubba Wallace now
has taken over the second spot.

[Bootie]
All right. Go get that last one.

[Bubba] Yessir!

Winning gets harder
and harder and harder

every step of the ladder
that you climb,

and so the feeling of winning,

that excitement,
that hunger, that anxiety,

just continues to creep up.

'Cause you don't know
what's gonna happen again.

It's just how tough this sport is.

-[Bubba] I'm loose.
-[Bootie] You say loose?

[Bubba] Yeah, I had one slip
and now I'm fucking wrecking.

[commentator] And a lot of smoke
from the 23 of Bubba Wallace.

[Bubba] Blew a tire.

We blew a tire, and we didn't
do anything to cause that.

It just blew out, time to go.

[Bootie] Everybody get
your shit together now.

[commentator] Boy, this is huge for a very
fast car, hot driver, Bubba Wallace.

Bubba Wallace at the tail end
of the field right now.

[Bubba]
It's how you manage both sides.

It's how you manage
havin' a rough day,

and nothing's gonna make it better.

But then it's also
how you manage havin'

one of your career days
and somethin' goes south.

[Bootie] Myself,
I try to do the best I can.

I'm gon' try to win every one of 'em,
but that's not gon' happen.

So it doesn't crush me
when it doesn't happen,

but I just redirect and go after it again.

Also recognize at the same time,

there's more than just you out there,
you have the team aspect.

[commentator] Two Toyota drivers
that are battling

for the race lead,
Denny Hamlin and Tyler Reddick.

[commentator 1] Denny Hamlin,
the car owner of Tyler Reddick,

and they've worked a lot
together on driving.

[Alexa] You want him to win,
but at the same time,

I think all you really
think about is just safety.

Even when I come back to the bus,

I'm just praying to God
just to keep him safe.

[Tyler] As I got older I realized how hard
it actually is to win these races.

How much has to go into it.
How many things have to go right.

I just am obsessed with winning,

even if that means
losing hundreds of times.

-[commentator] Hamlin in front of Reddick.
-[commentator 1] Both of 'em workin' together.

Here they are battlin' for the lead.
Who taught who the most?

The playoffs are nuts.

[commentator 2] These playoffs,
they just bring the pressure.

Joey Logano, the champ,

this is the worst
we've seen the 22 perform

in the last couple years.

[commentator 1] The position that Logano
is in right now is shocking.

[commentator] Reddick now with momentum.

[commentator 2] Reddick dives down,
low three-wide.

He's gonna be clear goin' into turn one!

-[dramatic music]
-[car roars]

[commentator] Reddick outta four!

Reddick wins in Kansas!

Yes, yeah! Yeah!

-All right!
-[Bubba] How about it?

[Bubba] Way to not fuck up, you little shit!

[Bootie] Hell yeah, buddy.

[commentator] Tyler Reddick
will score the win.

Denny Hamlin second.

I'm bummed. I'm bummed.
I mean, I'll be happy for him later,

but certainly right now I'm bummed.

-[dramatic music]
-[car rumbles]

Good job, maybe see you later, yeah?

You did a good job, earlier,
but that worked out.

-Yeah, great job.
-Thank you.

[car rumbles]

[interviewer] Joey Logano, you're
now above the elimination line.

[Joey] We're more above
than we were when we came in,

so that's a good day
when you look at that.

To finish in the top five
with a day like that,

that's pretty big for us.

Good job, you little fucker.

You weren't even in the picture
before I wrecked,

-so, good job.
-Thank you.

[Mike] What a story
coming out of Kansas,

the first-ever playoff victory
for 23XI Racing.

Tyler Reddick is on to the round of 12.

By the way, always interesting to consider
what Denny Hamlin's thinking.

The team he owns, doing great.

But he's still looking
for his first win of these playoffs.

[Denny] It's painful.

Weekends like this
are exactly what has kept me

from winning a championship
year after year.

And now I get to go
to the competition that stole it,

that I'm supposed to be happy for. [chuckles]

I am happy for him.
It's just... it came at my expense.

As a mentor and owner at 23XI,

my job is to be an open book
and help educate those guys

in any way that I see can make
them better race car drivers.

The flip side to that, though,

is that they are still competitors,
and certainly the 45,

the way he has started the playoffs,
is a formidable opponent.

If he continues on this trend,
he could keep me from winning a title.

-What's up?
-[all chuckle]

[Dave] All right, for the fun part.
Bubba, talk to us about your weekend.

You don't know
when the thing's gonna blow,

so I had no indication.

[Tyler] If you're lucky,
you get maybe a corner.

It's really hard to tell
when it's gonna do it.

[Bubba] It seems like we're always
tryin' to come up from behind.

As soon as you get on a high,

there's always somethin'
and you're knocked back down.

And it makes you question like,
"Man, did I celebrate too hard?"

You know, "Did I blow that
good part up too much

to where, it's like,
'We've gotta humble you?'"

You're never gonna blow
a tire running 20th,

you're never gonna blow
a tire when you're havin' an off day.

You only blow a tire when it's a good day
and you have a shot at winning.

All in on the 23 this week.

Let's get Bubba in the Round of 12.

I'm not superstitious, but every time
I sat there we had a shit race,

so I stopped sittin' there.

[man] You might be
a little bit superstitious.

I might be.
I don't wanna believe that stuff...

But the facts are, I sat there twice,

we had two bad races,
so I stopped sittin' there.

[Ryan] Play the odds, man.
You gotta keep sittin' there.

-You know?
-[Joey] Yeah!

You lose at blackjack, double.
You lose that, double again.

[all laugh]

-You're gonna win one eventually.
-You gotta win.

[Dale] Joey is our
champion from last year,

and he's really close to the cut line.

I couldn't ask for a better storyline

than to be goin' into Bristol
and our last year's champion

be going in there on the very verge
of being knocked out.

[Joey] At some point in the playoffs,
you're gonna have pressure on you.

Your back's gonna be up against the wall.

You hope it's not
in the first round like it is today,

but it's gonna happen.

[Jerry] The team here at
Bristol Motor Speedway,

we are thrilled to welcome you guys
back to the Night Race.

The Bass Pro Shops Night Race,
bein' an elimination race,

is sure to put on some action tonight.

[Joey] I say it all the time,
pressure is a privilege.

We have the pressure because
we're in the playoffs.

If you're knocked out,
you got no more pressure, and that sucks.

We wanna keep that pressure
on for ten weeks.

Hey, Joey, Joey, Joey! Right here!

My old lady wants to marry you.

[indistinct chatter]

But don't get excited like that.
Don't get excited.

Relax, just relax.

[Bubba] I think the world knows
I'm my worst critic, right?

I often get in my own way.

Then you kind of get lost
in trying to please everybody

and just be the best at everything,

and it takes time to do
that and bein' the best at everything

doesn't happen in one day.

[Bootie] It's a very few of us
that are actually in the arena.

Everybody else is just a critic,

but so few are willin' to
put themselves in that position

with the stress, with the pressure,
with the whatever. But you gotta do it.

You gotta just buckle down
and focus on what you have to do.

[commentator] It's an elimination race
from the Last Great Colosseum.

So much on the line, guys.

The bottom four are eliminated
after tonight's race.

[commentator 1] I think everybody
has to be concerned.

This is Bristol Motor Speedway.
Anything can happen, and it happens fast.

You can be havin' a great day,
and it goes all away with one bad move.

[Dale] One stumble, one mistake,

that's all it takes,
and your season's done.

You think that you're preparing
during the regular season.

You think that you're doing
everything you can,

but when you get into the playoffs
and you're one

of the people that have
an opportunity to race

for the championship,
you find another gear.

[intense music]

[Chris] All right, 500 laps
at this badass race track.

Have fun, be smart.

[cars roar]

[Coleman] Trouble, front stretch.
Front stretch.

[commentator]
Problems along the front stretch.

Austin Cindric gets
into A.J. Allmendinger.

[Chris] Caution behind you.
Behind you.

[Jeff] That will bring out
our first yellow of the day.

-[Chris] Any thoughts?
-[Denny] No, not right now.

I'm just tight.

[Chris] Pit road open.
Follow the leader.

[Denny] At Bristol,
I was very patient

because I knew ten laps
into the race, 15 laps in,

I've got a pretty good car.

[commentator] If I'm a playoff car in the back,

I think I'd consider staying out to try
to get points even with old tires.

[Bootie] If we were to come,
Bubba, do you need anything?

[Bubba] Just need
a little bit better front turn.

[Bootie] When the caution came out,

I knew we were most likely gonna stay out
to try to get stage points.

That's a bit risky.

Stay out! Stay out!

When you take stage points
and those other guys pit before you,

then they stay out the next one.

You lose all that
track position afterwards.

There's a price to be paid.

You gonna restart then 20-somethin'.

[Coleman] Stay out! We'll be top ten.
Stay out! We'll be top ten.

[Joey] I'll hang in as strong as I can here.

Tires are not that much of a premium here

-because it's so hard to pass.
-Yes.

What we're tryin' to do is stage points,
stage points, and then finish...

-Top ten?
-Yes.

-Hopefully, the tension comes into play.
-Right.

That's a smart way to play.

-[Bootie] Green flag.
-[commentator] Green flag is back out.

Playoff points, so important
when we get to the end of stage one.

[Bubba] We finished
the first stage third.

So we got us some stage points there.

[commentator] Joey Logano finally
pittin' at the stage end

and now he is at 30th.
Good news is he's on the plus side

of the cut line right now.

[Joey] The worst thing
you can have is a car

that drives pretty good
and still isn't fast.

You race up in the front,
you can manage your car a little better.

You get in the back, it's dog-eat-dog.

[Coleman] Good job.
47 bottom three...

Check-up. Middle hard!
Watch out, comin' up.

Comin' up.

Damn it!

[Coleman] Guys, be ready
for a left rear here. Keep goin' straight.

[Paul] Talk to us. Left rear's down.

[Joey] Down.
Probably more issues than that.

[Paul] Yeah, it's destroyed. Killed.

[Paul] You can bring it down here
but I think we're done, bud.

Two, one, and hold.

[dramatic music]

Yeah, it's done.
Bring it in behind the wall, please.

Take it to the hauler.

[commentator] Never before
has the reigning champion

been eliminated from the playoffs
in the first round.

[commentator 1] He's gotta have some guys
crash outta this race right now,

like Bubba Wallace,
like a Martin Truex Jr.

It's hard to see a scenario
where Joey Logano finds his way back.

Bubba, how are you lookin'?
Did you slice your tires?

[Bubba] No, all good.

[Bootie] Okay, the 22's
got severe damage, left rear.

Objective is pretty much still the same.

You just keep doin' what you're doin'.

[Joey] How do I feel?
I'm a little angry at the moment,

but there's not much I can do about it,
so I guess I'll just watch it.

No, it's our own fault.

If you're in the back,
that's what happens.

[cameraman speaking]

You run at the back with the squirrels,
you get your nuts busted.

You hear it a million times.
It's what happened today.

It's gonna take bad luck
from somebody else at the moment.

You don't wanna wish bad things
on people for your own good,

but that's really our only hope
right now, so... yeah.

People say the season's over,
I disagree with that.

-I'll try to finish fifth...
-[commentator] The 19's wreckin'!

Look, here's my chance.

[crew member] Hold on, Truex.

Stay straight here. Caution.

[commentator 1] That was a major save,
it might have saved his playoff chances,

and might have been what
Joey Logano was looking for.

-[James] Everything okay there?
-[Martin] I think so.

[Joey] 19 was one of the cars
that we need to beat, right?

And you can see there,
he's five over the cut right now.

Looks like he got loose.

It's a helpless feeling
'cause you just sit

and watch other people do things,
so we'll wait and see.

[Bubba] We knew we had
to do some work,

but then the 22 car got into a wreck.

Then it's like,
"You're four points to the good."

[Bootie] All right, you're plus-four
as far as points.

[Bubba]
I was just like, "On who?"

I'm plus-four over who?

You might be even better,
but anyway I'll shut up.

[Bubba]
Wow, learnin' your lesson.

[commentator 1] The 23's good in four points,
but a little bump and you're out.

[Freddie] Right on your bumper here,
trying to pack air on that left-rear.

Trying to pass here.
Don't let him ruin our night here.

Just let him go.
Don't fuck with him.

[Bubba] Ain't nobody fuckin' with him.
Runnin' my own goddamn race!

That was the most stressful I had been.
You don't give up four spots for fun.

Don't fuck up my race
'cause you can't pass me!

[commentator] Now is the time
when teams are talkin' big picture.

[Chris] Nice and smooth rhythm.

Big lead here, three seconds,
big picture in front of you there.

[Denny] It seems like
we always get better as XI Team.

We get stronger as races go on.

I choose to take
a more calculated approach

and put myself up in the front
at the end, when it really matters.

[commentator 2] Denny Hamlin
continues to dominate.

[commentator] He has now eclipsed 14,000 laps
that he has led in his career.

[Chris] Ten to go.
One-zero to go here.

[commentator 2] Hamlin putting on
a show right now.

[commentator] Bubba Wallace,
four points above the cut line.

Under two to go.

[Freddie] Good fuckin' work!

[commentator] And this time by,
it's one lap to go.

Denny Hamlin has put together
an amazing race.

-He's led 142 laps.
-[Denny] Bristol Night, baby!

[commentator] And he wins
the Night Race at Bristol.

[Denny] For the love of the game.
It is the Bristol Night Race.

You guys kicked
fucking ass this round. Keep on it.

[commentator] Bubba Wallace.
Just finish this baby,

looks like you've got
yourself a spot in round two.

-[Bubba] Proud of you guys. Thank you.
-Yeah!

[Bubba] Oh, yeah!

Supposed to be out
in this motherfucker!

-We're still in it!
-[Bootie] Great job, bruh.

[Marty] There are 17 people
who have ever won

more than one Cup Series championship.

Seventeen, ever.

Even if you're a prodigy
like Joey Logano, it's still really hard.

[commentator] How about Bubba Wallace?
He's now down at 12th.

[commentator 1] Don't tell him that we've got him
at the bottom of the list.

-Congratulate him on his performance.
-[Bubba] I love that shit right there.

All they're doin'
is addin' fuel to the fire.

-Great job, fella.
-I'm wiped the fuck out.

I'm sure you are, you did great.

-What you say?
-I love you, brother.

I love you too. Thanks, man.

You did great.

-Get some!
-Let's go, Bubba!

Bubba!

Fuck yeah!

[fans exclaiming]

[Denny] I feel like
there's no weakness in my game.

I don't think there's any weakness
when I come to pit road.

It's obviously working.

When we're at our best,
it's hard to beat us.

You keep puttin' yourself in position,

eventually, the roulette wheel's
gonna hit your number.

Everybody likes a winner, right?
Nothin' to stop us at this point.

So are these fans motivation for you?
There's a lotta boos out there.

[crowd booing]

They hate him. I love him.

I beat your favorite driver.

Who would that be?

[Denny] All of 'em.

[interviewer] Denny Hamlin!

[upbeat instrumental music]