Bass Pro Shops Night Race
Location: Bristol, Tenn.
Course: Bristol Motor Speedway
Format: 0.53-mile oval
Laps: 500
NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops Night Race Preview
The first cut race of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs is set to get underway this Saturday night under the lights at Bristol Motor Speedway. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota teammates Chase Briscoe and Denny Hamlin both already secured a spot among the final 12 championship contenders with wins in the first two races of the round, and Saturday night's short-track showdown will eliminate the first four contenders from the championship battle.
While anything is still possible, Josh Berry, Alex Bowman, Shane van Gisbergen, and Austin Dillon all have work to do this week if they hope to remain alive in the championship fight. The battle to make the top 12 is just an 11-point affair between Austin Cindric and Dillon but, while every playoff driver above the cutline entering the weekend can control their own destiny on points alone, Dillon -11, SVG -15, Bowman -35, and Berry -45 all either need help or to win the race to secure advancement.
Despite all eyes being on the Joe Gibbs Racing teammates at the top of their game and Kyle Larson with his recent Bristol domination there is plenty to watch further down the order as the final 12 championship contenders will be determined at the conclusion of Saturday night's Bass Pro Shops Night Race.
Key Stats at Bristol Motor Speedway
- Number of races: 126
- Winners from pole: 27
- Winners from top-5 starters: 74
- Winners from top-10 starters: 98
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 6
- Fastest race: 104.589 mph
Previous 10 Bristol Winners
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
2019 fall - Denny Hamlin
2019 spring - Kyle Busch
Tires have been the subject of heavy discussion at Bristol in recent seasons. However, the severe wear seen in 2024's spring has haven't returned since. What has occurred is domination. Specifically from Kyle Larson. The Hendrick Motorsports driver won each of the last two Bristol visits while leading more than 400 of 500 laps each time. What used to be a highly competitive track has recently become his personal playground. The track's high banks and short lap traditionally have made it one of the more exciting stops on the calendar. In an effort to bring back that close racing, NASCAR and Goodyear have been working to find a tire compound that produces more wear, but that balance hasn't been found yet.
Rumors persist this weekend that tires will be a focus with Goodyear bringing a softer right-side tire for this week's race, which drivers like Denny Hamlin (who won the tire conservation battle in 2024) hope will mix up the competition. Bristol's high banking allows for multiple race lines to be run, and if this weekend's tires produce more fall off, drivers and teams will have to use those different lines to find the groove that works best for their setups. Track position is likely to be a critical factor, too. Eight of the last nine Bristol races were won by someone starting inside the top 5 with Chris Buescher being the exception in his 2022 fall 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
Denny Hamlin - $11,000
Ryan Blaney - $10,200
Chase Briscoe - $10,000
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
William Byron - $9,800
Chase Elliott - $9,500
Joey Logano - $9,200
Bubba Wallace - $9,000
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Ty Gibbs - $8,700
Tyler Reddick - $8,500
Ross Chastain - $8,300
Alex Bowman - $8,100
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Carson Hocevar - $7,500
Austin Dillon - $7,300
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. - $6,400
Noah Gragson - $5,800
NASCAR Cup Series DFS Picks for the Bass Pro Shops Night Race
Chase Briscoe - $10,000
Chase Elliott - $9,500
Ty Gibbs - $8,700
Ross Chastain - $8,300
Alex Bowman - $8,100
Todd Gilliland - $5,400
While Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin have been grabbing the spotlight at Bristol, Chase Briscoe (DK $10,000, FD $12,000) has been gaining ground. Add his current run of incredible race form to that Bristol improvement and you have the makings of a top contender for Saturday night's win. Briscoe has been on fire recently with a win and a runner-up finish in the first two playoff races, and earlier this year (while he was still getting familiar with new surroundings at JGR) he landed a fourth-place finish at Bristol from the 14th starting position. Briscoe offers fantasy rosters good value this week for those hoping to ride his current wave of momentum.
Chase Elliott (DK $9,500, FD $11,500) is also showing good form after a brief step backward. After back-to-back finishes outside of the top 25, Elliott now has two top-10s from the last three races, including a third-place finish last week at Gateway. The former series champ has also been consistently near the front at Bristol. While he may not have a Cup win at the track, Elliott's nine top-10 Bristol finishes help him to an average result at the circuit of 11.3. Elliott's return to consistency, plus those Bristol stats, make him a driver fantasy players can rely on this week.
One non-playoff contender to keep in mind at Bristol is Ty Gibbs (DK $8,700, FD $8,000). With the JGR Toyota's strength, fantasy players should expect a lift from Gibbs, too. He is already establishing himself at Bristol with two top-fives and three top-10s from five series starts, and he finished third from the sixth starting spot at the track in April. He led a total of 239 laps through his five starts, and those highlights make him a confident fantasy option this week.
Ross Chastain (DK $8,300, FD $8,200) is another driver with established Bristol success and fantasy players get the added benefit of some playoff motivation this week. Chastain finished 15th or better in four of the last five Bristol races. He claims two top-10s in that span, including a seventh-place finish in April. Chastain needs a mistake-free night this week, and fantasy players can be sure he'll be going for maximum points as he tries to ensure advancement to the next round.
Likewise, Alex Bowman (DK $8,100, FD $10,500) will be going for all the glory. He faces a virtual must-win scenario to remain in the playoffs and has been quick at Bristol recently. Bowman started on pole in the last two stops at the track and led more than 30 laps each time. This weekend he just needs to convert that pace into a full race distance to be in contention for the win.
Todd Gilliland (DK $5,400, FD $3,000) closes out this weeks selections. The Front Row Motorsports driver is in the midst of a dry spell with just one top-15 from the last five races, but he has shown promise on short tracks in the past. He finished 10th at Martinsville earlier this season and has two top-20s from five Bristol starts. Taking a bit of a risk on Gilliland and hoping for a respectable night enables fantasy players to take some bigger contenders further up the price list.
NASCAR Cup Series Betting Picks for the Bass Pro Shops Night Race
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook as of 3:30 PM ET Friday
Race Winner - Chase Briscoe +1000
Top-Five Finish - Alex Bowman +300
Head-to-Head Matchup - Chase Briscoe -155, Tyler Reddick +115
The benefit of Denny Hamlin winning last week and Kyle Larson recently dominating at Bristol is that wagerers can get very good odds on a number of other drivers. Top of that list this week should be Chase Briscoe. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has back-to-back top-two finishes in the playoffs and landed his best-ever Bristol series finish earlier this season when he was still trying to figure things out at Joe Gibbs Racing. Briscoe is at the top of his game, and earning two- to three-times the payout for selecting him versus the two favorites is quite a good deal. One must accept that Hamlin or Larson could go out and dominate Saturday night's race, but there are sound reasons to opt for Briscoe instead.
In Hamlin's case, back-to-back wins are relatively rare. That happened zero times last season and three times so far this season. Hamlin was one of those three, and doing it twice in one season is statistically rare. Similarly, winning three consecutive races at a single track is also quite rare. Not since the days of Kevin Harvick at Phoenix or Jimmie Johnson at Dover has that been a regular occurrence, and that is what Larson will be facing this week. With all that in mind, I feel quite comfortable going with Briscoe this week to win and taking the higher payout along with it.
Facing a must-win scenario to stay alive in the playoffs, Alex Bowman offers attractive odds to finish in the top five. Fans can be assured that he will be going for the victory, and even if that effort comes up a short, a top-five is still within his reach. He has three career top-fives at Bristol from 16 career starts, and he started on pole in his last two visits to the track. In those outings his best finish was ninth last fall, but he also led more than 30 laps in both races. The combination of racing for his playoff hopes and tangible recent speed at Bristol make him a potent challenger for a top-five this week with more favorable odds than are typically offered for such a finish.
In the matchup space, Chase Briscoe again comes to mind. Pairing him against Tyler Reddick seems like a slam dunk and well worth taking slightly negative odds. Briscoe has a much better Bristol resume than Reddick and is currently racing better, too. Reddick has only ever finished in the top 10 at Bristol once and he finished outside of the top 15 in three of the last four races leading up to this weekend. Contrast that with Briscoe back-to-back top-two finishes and consecutive Bristol top-10s, and you have a matchup that should not be overlooked.
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