NASCAR competition director Brad Moran discussed the 2025 Bristol Night Race via X. The clip focused on tire wear, passing, and what NASCAR wants short track racing to look like moving forward.The tweet came from SiriusXM NASCAR Radio’s official account. The caption read:"🗣️ "It's a real science to try get all that put together." 🏟️ #NASCAR's Brad Moran details what the sanctioning body is looking for when racing at @ItsBristolBaby"In the video, Moran said NASCAR aims for races where drivers must manage their tires and fight for position. He explained that the sport wants to see passing numbers go up, more leaders at the front, and side-by-side racing. Expanding on the idea, he added:"It's a real science, just trying to get all that put together exactly how it should be. But we certainly do want some tire management in there. We want two-three wide racing.""And again, Goodyear worked hard to get us there. If it was probably just a slight bit of less wear, might have been favorable, but there's no doubt about it, we're heading in the right direction," Moran continued.At Bristol, Christopher Bell came out on top with one of the gutsiest finishes of the season. Starting fifth with only four laps left, he raced to the front in his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota and held off Brad Keselowski after a bump on the final lap.This win was Bell’s fourth of 2025 and his first at Bristol, and it locked him into the Round of 12 in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. The night, however, wasn’t easy, tirewise.Goodyear brought a new right-side compound that gave drivers grip early but fell off quickly. Crews scrambled to keep up, and the pit calls pretty much decided the whole race.Bell rolled with two fresh tires instead of four in the final stretch, a gamble that gave him a smooth win. Keselowski had the speed to challenge but lost momentum on the final restart when he lined up in the outside lane.He clawed his way back to Bell’s bumper but ran out of laps to complete the pass. Ty Gibbs, who dominated much of the race with 201 laps led, slid to 10th after a costly mistake entering pit road. Non-playoff driver Zane Smith logged a third-place finish, followed by Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano.NASCAR's Bristol ratings slip, but the race still deliversNASCAR insider Adam Stern reported the Bristol Night Race pulled a 0.79 rating and 1.536 million viewers on USA Network. That’s a drop from last year’s 0.98 rating and 1.868 million.Still, the race ranked as the second most-watched sport on cable for the weekend, behind only football. It also had tough competition: Saturday night lined up against college football’s Week 3, while Sunday featured the NFL’s Week 2 slate, including the Eagles vs. Chiefs Super Bowl rematch.Now the playoff field heads into the Round of 12, starting at New Hampshire Motor Speedway before moving to Kansas. The Charlotte Roval will then decide who moves on and who goes home.