The Modified Central Regional Series heads next to Bristol Motor Speedway (Dirt), and this stop has all the ingredients of a turning-point race. It’s a place where clean air is priceless, mistakes are costly, and the record book already shows a handful of drivers who know exactly how to get it done here. With the series now three races deep and four races remaining, Bristol is where the points story can either stabilize—or explode.
Right now, the points leader is still Aidan Strawberry with 34 points and two wins on the season. But after USA International, the chase tightened up in a big way. Brayden E Carter sits second at 22 with only two starts, and Brenden McGlothlin is right there in third with 20, keeping the pressure on for every position. Doug Welch (16) continues to stack results, and Jesse Newsome enters Bristol with the hottest momentum outside of Strawberry after grabbing the win at USA International. If there’s one takeaway from the first three races, it’s this: you can’t “wait for later” in this series—every week is a points week.
Bristol’s previous-season result gives a clear blueprint for what it takes to win here. In Season 1 at Bristol, Brandon Holtmeier turned in a perfect night: win + qualifying fast time for the maximum 13 points, and he led all 15 laps. That’s the kind of performance Bristol rewards—control the start, control the pace, control the race. Behind Holtmeier, Dean Reynolds finished second and Samuel Bachman took third, with McGlothlin and Brayden Avila rounding out the top five. It was a race defined by execution, and it’s a reminder that Bristol doesn’t give you many second chances once the rhythm sets in.
The all-time Bristol stats underline something else: this isn’t a one-name track, but the winners list is elite. Colton Zimmer sits as the winningest driver at Bristol with two wins, and then a strong group of single-time winners follows—James Richard2, Matthew Selby, Michael D Carter, and Brandon Holtmeier. In other words, the drivers who win here tend to be drivers who can win anywhere. And when you pair that with the Central standings tightening up, it makes Bristol feel like a race where a “statement win” can change the entire season conversation.
There are also several names from the Season 1 Bristol results who are directly involved in the current Central season storyline. Strawberry ran 7th in last year’s Bristol race, and he’ll be looking to improve that result as the points leader. McGlothlin finished 4th at Bristol in Season 1 and has already shown he can run up front early this season—he’s one of the most likely drivers to turn Bristol into a big points gain. Brayden Avila, who finished 5th last year at Bristol, is currently inside the top 10 in points as well, making this a track where he could take another step forward.
And then there’s the momentum angle heading into Bristol. Jesse Newsome just grabbed his second career win at USA International in only his seventh career start, and that kind of confidence can travel—especially to a track that rewards decisive, clean execution. On the other side, Strawberry’s fifth-place run at USA showed he can still bank points on an “off” night, which is exactly what champions do. For Carter, this is another opportunity: he’s already second in points with fewer starts than the leader, so every additional race he makes is a chance to compress the gap. Bristol can be a math race as much as a speed race, and the drivers who leave with top-three points will be the ones setting the tone for the second half of the season.
Season 1 Bristol Motor Speedway Results
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Brandon Holtmeier
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Dean Reynolds
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Samuel Bachman
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Brenden McGlothlin
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Brayden Avila
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Jordan McCabe
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Aidan Strawberry
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Darren Shores
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Dylan Caskey
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Scott Benedix4
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Blake Cannon
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Bryan Brewer
Current Top 10 in Points (After Race 3)
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Aidan Strawberry — 34
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Brayden E Carter — 22
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Brenden McGlothlin — 20
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Doug Welch — 16
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Jesse Newsome — 12
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Dolan Cole — 10
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Brycen Daffern — 10
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Brayden Avila — 9
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Michael Buanno — 9
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Cam H Smith — 9
