Austin Cindric, Alex Bowman come out on different sides of Bristol bubble battle

In the closing laps of Saturday's Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway, Austin Cindric had zero control of his NASCAR Cup Series playoff destiny. 

A fire inside his No. 2 Team Penske Ford on Lap 454 forced Cindric, who led 10 laps on the evening, to pit from 20th and lose five laps. 

Cindric fell to 33rd — a less-than-ideal scenario, given that fellow playoff driver Alex Bowman was quickly catching him on the playoff grid for the final Round of 12 transfer spot. 

As the laps wound down, Bowman, who pitted with 28 laps to go, had fresh tires and was clawing his way back through the pack. If the race ran green to the end, Bowman would be in contention for the win. 

However, a late caution ruined any chance of Bowman catching the leaders. A chaotic final restart saw Christopher Bell find a way to the lead and the win, while Bowman was forced to settle for eighth. 

Austin Cindric, Alex Bowman talk final transfer spot

Even though Cindric finished 30th, the 2022 Daytona 500 champion was the driver who came out on top in regard to the battle for the final transfer spot. 

"Not ideal (with) the fire there," Cindric told USA Network. "Definitely inhaled a lot of smoke. Huge credit to all my guys behind the wall, over the wall to be prepared for a situation like that and only lose five laps. Proud of the effort. I want to keep advancing through this, (the) team is capable of a lot."

"We just played the hand that we could and stayed out," Bowman told USA Network regarding the final restart. "I think we swung the right direction, and we can continue to do that for the next seven weeks. It certainly sucks to not transfer." 

Cindric has transferred to the Round of 12 for the third time in three playoff appearances, while Bowman's elimination marks the first Round of 16 exit of his Cup Series career.