Lightning doesn’t quite describe what it feels like when the sun sets and Bristol’s light blaze one. The track has earned its reputation as one of NASCAR’s most electric and unforgiving spectacles. Concrete, steep banks, 500 laps, and full grandstands, it is where punch-your-way-through finishes like Kyle Larson’s 411 laps led in the 2025 Food City 500 become chapter-one memories.

Now the 2025 Cup Playoffs charge in with everything still on the line. As Michael McDowell puts it, “The Bristol Night Race is all about the intensity. It just pumps it up. … It is being a cutoff round of the playoffs … such a fun atmosphere.” And the same sentiment has been shared by one of NASCAR’s very own stars, Corey LaJoie, who made a bold claim about The Last Great Colosseum.

Corey LaJoie challenges how NASCAR defines its marquee races

The debate on the Skipping Pennies podcast began with a straight-up provocation, “Is the Bristol Night Race a Crown Jewel?” and an even straighter reply by Lajoie, “Crown Jewel? Absolutely.” Historically, the term “Crown Jewel” has meant a small set of marquee classics, like the Daytona 500, the Coca-Cola 600, the Southern 500, a formalized idea that dates back to the Winston Million era and is still used in media guides and NASCAR retrospectives. Those institutional definitions matter because they shape sponsorship, promotion, and legacy stat lines. They are why some voices insist Bristol sits one rung down, even as others beg to differ.

Co-host Skip Flores then asked, “So what are our four Crown Jewels? Daytona, Indy, Darlington, Coke 600. It’s not at that level. It would be a D1 AA. This is D1 AA, not quite D2.” But LaJoie’s reply exploded the taxonomy into a story, saying, “I don’t agree with that… if you win the Bristol Night Race, that is the one that you tell your grandkids about. No different than the Coke 600. So is that the industry’s fault for not elevating it to the level of the Coke 600? Like, what makes a Crown Jewel a Crown Jewel?” Plenty of fans have argued the same. Bristol‘s bowl, its full-stadium roar, and the spectacle of night-time short-track mayhem routinely produce moments that live far beyond the statistical tier they are assigned.

From Dale Earnhardt Jr.‘s “It’s Bristol, baby!” at the 2004 Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway, to a gallery of finishes and feuds that populate the Hall of Fame and highlight reels, the track’s emotional ledger often reads like a crown jewel even if the official list doesn’t always include it. “It’s the legacy, it’s the history, it’s the hype. Which we can all argue, the Bristol Night Race has the hype,” LaJoie added. The Coca-Cola 600’s unique day-to-night endurance test and Daytona’s status as “the big one” are measurable. But Bristol’s measure is largely cultural, with packed grandstands, a tradition of hard-rubbing short-track combat, and the way a single Lap 400 pass or last-lap feud becomes a defining chapter of a driver’s career.

But the debate didn’t stop there, as the pair riffed into short-track comparisons. “Don’t you think Bristol’s D-1-AA? You know what else I think is D-1 AA? Martinsville,” Flores opined. “I think, either the first or second Martinsville race, the second one in the playoffs is pretty cool. That’s D-1-AAA,” LaJoie added. Martinsville’s paperclip and grandfather-clock lore absolutely carries weight. The track has a resume going back to NASCAR’s birth and produces fireworks of its own, but it’s a different flavor of prestige than Bristol’s amphitheater of mayhem.

Technically, Bristol is a .533-mile concrete oval with very steep progressive banking, and that geometry is part of why the place feeds gladiatorial. The walls are close, speeds are high for a half-mile, and the crowd surrounds the action like a colosseum. “Bristol Night Race is unbelievable, man,” said LaJoie, to which Flores added, “Oh, progressively banked now for 24-28 degrees.” Bristol’s “Last Great Colosseum” nickname isn’t marketing fluff; it is how fans and drivers describe the visceral experience of tight-quarters, high-stakes, full-stadium racing. “It’s the best place… I have been to the original, the first great Colosseum, in Rome on our honeymoon. The feeling that you get walking into there is the same feeling you get walking into Bristol… Makes a pair on the back of your neck stand up. I love it,” added LaJoie.

But this year, there is another variable that underscores how Bristol can both make and break narratives. “And there’s a lot of unknowns going on this weekend, because there is a new right side tire softer option,” said Flores. Goodyear did bring a softer right-side compound for the Night Race, introducing a fresh strategy and durability wrinkle that can amplify the chaos Bristol is famous for. That mixture of arena atmosphere, tight racing, playoff ramifications, and last-minute technical unknowns is why so many drivers argue that Bristol belongs in the same conversation as the sport’s traditional majors.

Corey LaJoie weighs in as Christopher Bell’s blowup exposes internal tension

Christopher Bell left no doubt about his feelings after Gateway. While most drivers would take a 7th-place finish and smile, Bell was fuming. As the checkered flag waved, crew chief Adam Stevens tried to spin it positively: “That’s what we needed today. Takes the pressure off next week. Good job, guys.” But Bell wasn’t having it. Over the radio, he snapped back: “We just f—— ran seventh with the best car on the track! Every f—— week, it’s the same s—. We’re the last car to pit road. I’m over it!”

His frustration set off a wave of chatter across NASCAR, showing just how tense things have become for the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing camp as the playoffs tighten. Flores bluntly put it, saying, “Pressure’s on. He’s actually not that high above the cutline.” With Bell sitting only 32 points above elimination, Corey LaJoie noted the margin for error is razor-thin, and strategy missteps could derail his playoff hopes.

Ultimately, the blowup highlights the fragile balance between driver and crew chief. Stevens leans on data models while Bell reacts to what he feels behind the wheel. As Flores explained, “There’s gonna be hard conversations this week,” hinting that this may be just the tip of the iceberg. With Bristol looming, LaJoie emphasized that fixing this trust gap could mean the difference between survival and heartbreak for the No. 20 team.