NASCAR Insider Adam Stern reported that this year’s Bristol Night Race drew a 0.79 rating and 1.536 million viewers, down from last year’s 0.98 rating and 1.868 million. Even with the decline, the stock car racing series still ranked as the second most-watched sport of the weekend behind football.Christopher Bell emerged victorious in this year’s 500-lap short track race, overcoming heavy tire wear and a dramatic battle with Brad Keselowski. Despite being bumped on the final lap, Bell kept control and held on to secure the win.The race coincided with Week 3 of college football on Saturday. The following day, the NFL’s Week 2 schedule featured several notable games, including the Super Bowl rematch between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs.Take a look at NASCAR's TV rating report posted by Adam Stern on X (via USA Network).“(USA Network) got a 0.79 rating and 1.536 million viewers for Saturday night's Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol, down from a 0.98 rating + 1.868 million for the same event last year,” he wrote.“That's still enough to make NASCAR the No. 2 sport of the weekend on cable after football.”Along with Christopher Bell’s victory, the Bristol night race also marked the first playoff eliminations of the season. Austin Dillon, Shane van Gisbergen, Alex Bowman, and Josh Berry were knocked out, while Bell advanced alongside Denny Hamlin, William Byron, Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney, Chase Briscoe, Chase Elliott, and Bubba Wallace. Austin Cindric, Joey Logano, Ross Chastain, and Tyler Reddick also moved forward, though they currently sit below the cutline.The Round of 12 begins Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, followed by Kansas Speedway. Another four drivers will then be eliminated at the Charlotte Roval.“It was the most physical race in general”: NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin on tough racing at BristolVeteran NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin reflected on Saturday’s Bristol night race, calling it the most physical event he’s experienced in a while. He noted that his #11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota wasn’t built for the heavy tire wear and pointed out the marbles piling up along the top lane as proof of how demanding the race became.In a recent episode of his Actions Detrimental podcast, the 59-time NASCAR Cup Series race winner said:“It was the most physical short track or race in general, I'd been in in quite some time... if you notice, I got hung on the outside for a few laps and then all of a sudden I was like what the hell's going on?” [11:55]“So pretty quickly, I looked up at the top of the racetrack. I saw the marbles, and I was like, ‘Oh boy, we got one of these races. All right, let's go.’ Like, I was actually excited to see how this played out. But yeah, just the car was not built for this type of race,” he added.Denny Hamlin ultimately finished 31st at Bristol, his worst result of the playoffs after opening with a seventh and a win in the first two races. On the bright side, he advances to the Round of 12 atop the standings with a 26-point cushion.