Another Saturday night Cup Series race under the lights! Bristol follows last week’s Richmond night race where Brad Keselowski pulled off the win. Keselowski comes in at +550 but he’s not the favorite. The favorites are two Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) teammates – both former Bristol winners.
Denny Hamlin comes in at +400 followed by Kyle Busch at +500. Hamlin has two wins at the track. One last season in 2019 and another in 2012. Busch has eight Cup Series wins with his latest at the 2019 Spring race. That gave JGR a sweep at Bristol during the 2019 season.
Drivers for Coach Gibbs have won four of the last six Bristol races. Here are the favored drivers to win the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race outright coming in and +550 and under.
Where to Bet: Best NASCAR Sportsbooks
Denny Hamlin +400
Kyle Busch +500
Chase Elliott +500
Kevin Harvick +550
Brad Keselowski +550
Want to bet on this weekend’s race? America’s Bookie has you covered.
Championship Playoff Drivers:
Bristol signals the end of round one the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs and four of the original sixteen Championship eligible drivers are below the cutoff line. A win could send anyone of them onto the next round. Here’s how the Playoffs break down heading into the Bristol race weekend. Chart notes Playoff standing, driver name, followed by current playoff points. The first three drivers are locked into Round Two on wins and or points.
Locked in with Round One win:
1. Kevin Harvick 2143
2. Brad Keselowski 2112
Locked in with Round One points:
3. Denny Hamlin 2122
Above the cutoff line:
4. Joey Logano 2109
5. Martin Truex, Jr. 2096
6. Austin Dillon 2094
7. Chase Elliott 2086
8. Alex Bowman 2085
9. Kyle Busch 2076
10. Kurt Busch 2065
11. Aric Almirola 2065
12. Clint Bowyer 2061
Below the cutoff line:
13. William Byron 2058
14. Cole Custer 2053
15. Matt DiBenedetto 2036
16. Ryan Blaney 2034
Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race Preview
Track: Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol, Tennessee
Type: 0.533 miles, oval
Turns: 4
Banking: Turns 26°-30° Progressive, straights 9°
Race Distance: 500 laps, 266.5 miles
Defending Track Winner: Brad Keselowski
TV/Radio: NBC-SN / MRN
Start Time: Saturday, September 19, at 7:30 PM Eastern
Wins by manufacturer: Chevrolet 45, Ford 38, Toyota 11, (Pontiac 8, Dodge 8, Buick 4, Plymouth 3, Oldsmobile 1.)
We Take a Deep Dive Into the NASCAR Betting Markets
2020 Bass Pro Shops NASCAR Predictions
Brad Keselowski +550
I had Brad Keselowski last week on a short track and he paid off. He’s the defending track winner as he won the race earlier this season following the COVID-19 hiatus. Richmond is not Bristol – but his win last week shows that the No. 2 team from Team Penske has a handle on setting up cars for tracks other than superspeedways.
Denny Hamlin +400
You have to consider Denny Hamlin as he has two wins at the track with one coming last season. He’s also finished fourteen times in the top ten with nine runs fifth or better. Hamlin has been the strongest car behind Harvick this season and he’s always strong at Bristol.
Ryan Blaney +900
I’m passing on Kevin Harvick this week as he’s locked into the next round. I’ll probably kick myself later. But Ryan Blaney comes in at +900 which makes him more attractive to me. Blaney needs a win to move to the next round. Or, he needs a top-five run combined with other drivers, near him in Playoff points, having a bad night. Blaney will be wide open.
Others I like
Matt Dibenedetto and Joey Logano: You can never count Matt DiBenedetto or Joey Logano out at Bristol. For some reason, Dibenedetto always looks strong at the Tennessee track. His career-best 2 nd place run came at the track and now he’s in better equipment. Joey Logano has one Bristol win but he’s finished in the top ten seven times in the last ten trips to the track and is a great pick to win.
One Fantasy Driver
Kyle Busch – I’ll probably fade Kyle Busch the rest of the season when picking my winners. That is until he and his team string several good races together in a row and tag on a win. That is the only reason He’s not one of my picks to win despite his history at the track. However, for a fantasy pick – Kyle Busch is a great driver to have on your team. He can rack up passing and top-ten fantasy points at Bristol.
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Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race Odds
Denny Hamlin +400
Kyle Busch +500
Chase Elliott +500
Kevin Harvick +550
Brad Keselowski +550
Joey Logano +800
Ryan Blaney +900
Kurt Busch +1400
Clint Bowyer +1600
Martin Truex Jr +1600
Austin Dillon +2000
Jimmie Johnson +2000
Erik Jones +2000
Alex Bowman +5000
Matt Dibenedetto +5000
William Byron +5000
Aric Almirola +5000
Christopher Bell +6600
Tyler Reddick +7000
Ricky Stenhouse Jr +7000
Cole Custer +8000
Matt Kenseth +8000
Ryan Newman +10000
Bubba Wallace +25000
Chris Buescher +30000
John Hunter Nemechek +50000
