Bass Pro Shops Night Race
Location: Bristol, Tenn.
Course: Bristol Motor Speedway
Format: 0.53-mile oval
Laps: 500
Bass Pro Shops Night Race Race Preview
The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Chase continues this week with the Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway. After a chaotic stop at New Hampshire, the intensity is not likely to settle down this weekend. Kyle Larson rose above the drama last week, using a four-tire stop to overtake Joey Logano in the closing laps and claim his first victory of the season, snapping a winless streak of more than 50 races. The many incidents also shook up the championship standings. Larson vaulted to second place, just nine points behind Denny Hamlin, while 13 of the 16 contenders left New Hampshire in a different position than where they started. Bristol should bring more of the same. The short-track action comes fast, contact is frequent, and even small mistakes can collect several competitors at once. That makes this one of the most unpredictable and entertaining stops on the schedule. With multiple 1.5-mile ovals next on the calendar, this week could also be the last major opportunity for Chevrolet and Ford to keep challenging Toyota.
Key Stats at Bristol Motor SpeedwayNumber of races: 128Winners from pole: 27Winners from top-5 starters: 75Winners from top-10 starters: 100Winners from 21st or lower starters: 6Fastest race: 104.589 mphPrevious 10 Bristol Winners
2026 spring – Ty Gibbs
2025 fall – Christopher Bell
2025 spring – Kyle Larson
2024 fall – Kyle Larson
2024 spring – Denny Hamlin
2023 – Denny Hamlin
2022 – Chris Buescher
2021 – Kyle Larson
2020 fall – Kevin Harvick
2020 spring – Brad Keselowski
Traditionally, Bristol’s concrete surface and high speeds have been tough on tires, but recent races here have often been controlled by a handful of cars rather than delivering the close, chaotic action fans expect. That was the case again in the spring race, when track position proved to be the deciding factor and clean air was difficult to overcome. Bristol is well known to NASCAR Cup teams, and its steep banking and tight quarters give teams a deep notebook for setup and strategy. However, the first race of the season showed that qualifying well, executing on pit road, and holding position near the front remain the biggest keys to success. Doing that at Bristol is easier said than done, though. Things happen fast at this circuit, cars are almost always in traffic, and even a small mistake can ruin an otherwise promising night. Drivers will have to stay sharp, protect track position, and avoid trouble across all 500 laps in order to to leave Saturday night with a win.
RotoWire NASCAR Cup Series DFS Tools
DraftKings Value Picks for the Bass Pro Shops Night Race
Based on Standard $50k Salary Cap
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Kyle Larson – $11,500
Ryan Blaney – $11,200
Christopher Bell – $10,700
Ty Gibbs – $10,400
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Chase Briscoe – $9,900
Joey Logano – $9,500
Chase Elliott – $8,700
Tyler Reddick – $8,500
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Brad Keselowski – $8,100
Carson Hocevar – $7,900
Bubba Wallace – $7,500
Alex Bowman – $7,300
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Austin Cindric – $7,200
Ryan Preece – $7,000
Josh Berry – $6,900
Zane Smith – $5,700
Optimal DraftKings Lineup for the Bass Pro Shops Night Race
Ryan Blaney – $11,200
Chase Briscoe – $9,900
Brad Keselowski – $8,100
Carson Hocevar – $7,900
Ryan Preece – $7,000
Zane Smith – $5,700
After leading 190 laps from pole at this track in the spring, Ryan Blaney (DK $11,200, FD $12,500) leads this week’s lineup. More importantly, Blaney’s results at Bristol have been on an upward swing. His second-place finish here in April was the best of his 19 starts at the track and made it three straight top-five Bristol finishes and four straight top-10s. Blaney has started on the front row in three of the last five races here and from the top five in four of the last five. There have also been four races in his Bristol Cup career that he led at least 100 laps in. It is time for Blaney to get his first series win at this track.
Chase Briscoe (DK $9,900, FD $11,500) adds Joe Gibbs Toyota strength to the lineup after teammate Ty Gibbs grabbed the win back in the spring. Like Blaney, Briscoe’s best Bristol finishes have been more recent. He has four straight top-10s at the track heading into this week’s race, and two of those finishes were top-five finishes, including this past spring. Despite starting 31st in this race last season, Briscoe led 127 laps and finished ninth. This is a race Briscoe should be able to make an impact.
Veteran Brad Keselowski (DK $8,100, FD $9,500) could also be in play. After an early rough race at Darlington, Keselowski bounced back to form with a 12th-place finish at Gateway. That was his third top-15 result from the last four races, and he now sits second in the standings among those not part of The Chase. Keselowski is still chasing wins this season, and wins are no stranger to him at Bristol. Keselowski has won three of his 30 series Bristol starts and finished second in this race last season.
Keselowski’s nemesis Carson Hocevar (DK $7,900, FD $8,200) may also be a good play. Hocevar somehow stayed clear of the trouble a week ago at Gateway and took home an eighth-place finish. That task could be more challenging at Bristol with traffic playing a larger role throughout this week’s race. However, Hocevar has two top-10s from six Bristol tries with both coming in the last two races. If Hocevar can avoid the retribution many other drivers want to serve him this week, he should have the speed to finish well up the order.
Ryan Preece (DK $7,000, FD $7,000) has not had a poor start to The Chase. After winning at Daytona to get into the championship picture, he has since moved up two spots to 14th in the standings. Bristol has also been a track where he has shown promise. Despite an average starting spot of 23.4 from 11 series starts, his average finish is 14.8. Two of his three Bristol top-10 finishes have come in the last four races, too. He finished eighth here in the spring.
Zane Smith (DK $5,700, FD $5,500) should also be a value option for rosters this week. His best Bristol finish was third in this race last season. In all, three of his five Bristol starts have ended with top-20 finishes. Smith hasn’t been in the best form recently, though. His last top-15 was at New Hampshire, but his history at Bristol suggests this could be the venue he starts a new trend of positive momentum.
NASCAR Cup Series Betting Picks for the Bass Pro Shops Night Race
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook as of 11:00 AM ET Friday
Race Winner – Ryan Blaney +550
Top-Five Finish – Chase Briscoe +145
Top-10 Finish – Bubba Wallace +155
Match Up – Chris Buescher -170 vs Ryan Preece +125
Ryan Blaney‘s steady improvement in Bristol results suggest that a win at the track may be forthcoming. The Team Penske driver is coming off of a rough week at New Hampshire after a brake issue, and he will be in the mood to make a statement return at the top of the order. In the spring, he led 190 laps in a runner-up finish, which was his best at the track. It also was the third Bristol race in a row that he led 30 laps or more. Blaney has been one of the most consistent drivers this season, and this is a circuit where his Ford can contend with all of the competition.
Chase Briscoe could also be poised for another top Bristol result. Like Blaney, his fortunes have been improving at the short track. Briscoe has two top-fives and two other top-10s from the last four Bristol races, and his best result at the track came in this race last season. A good qualifying outing ahead of Saturday night’s race will put him in position to come away with a top-five finish, and fans are getting nice positive odds for making that selection.
For nearly four months, Bubba Wallace has been alternating good finishes with poor finishes. That trend has been running strong since Nashville when he finished 32nd only to come back one race later at Michigan to finish third. In every race since then, that alternating trend has persisted. Two weeks ago, Wallace finished eighth at Darlington. He finished 14th last week at Gateway. That suggests this week he should finish somewhere better than 14th, which is why grabbing him for a top-10 finish this week at Bristol is a gamble worth taking.
A matchup to also consider is Chris Buescher versus teammate Ryan Preece. Buescher is in the midst of a definite dip in form having missed finishing in the top 15 in the last five races. He is a former winner at Bristol but hasn’t finished in the top 10 there in his last four tries. Preece, on the other hand, has three top-10s and a win from the last four races and he finished eighth last time at Bristol. Preece is a driver with momentum while Buescher is lagging, which makes these odds worth taking advantage of.
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