NASCAR

NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops Night Race Odds, Predictions & Best Bets At Bristol Motor Speedway

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By
Jeff Hawkins
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Jeff Hawkins Sports Editor

Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry, in both print and digital media. He joined the Sportscasting team in 2021 following a decade of freelancing. He spent his early career as a reporter for various newspapers in Illinois, New York, Florida, North Carolina, and Michigan, with a particular emphasis as a beat reporter for the Chicago Blackhawks. Jeff earned his bachelor's degree in journalism from Oakland University. Over the course of his career he earned several sports writing awards, including two national awards from the Associated Press Sports Editors for column writing and news reporting. One of the five prized columns included a commentary on NASCAR's increasing corporate influences, particularly in northern racetracks — commentary which you might find Jeff building on as part of the Motorsports writing team at Sportscasting now.  

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Published17 Sep 2024

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denny hamlin enters bristol below cutoff line (1)

Denny Hamlin appears to be in a prime position. Sure, the NASCAR Cup Series driver enters Sunday’s Round of 16 finale six points below the cutoff line, but if he’s worried? He didn’t sound like it. 

“It’s not over yet,” Hamlin said on social media. “Obviously we’re going to a track that we know how to perform.” 

According to BetOnline Sportsbook, Hamlin (+400) was listed as the betting favorite to capture Saturday night’s Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway. 

The 0.533-mile oval remains “my favorite race track,” which Hamlin recently declared over his team radio. 

Hamlin should be favored at Bristol. He has captured three checkered flags at the small track, including the past two events. He also has compiled four straight top-10 finishes at Bristol. 

Below, we’ll preview the top storylines heading into the Bass Pro Shops Night Race, go over the odds, and give our best bets for the 29th race on the 2024 NASCAR schedule and Round of 16 finale.

Bass Pro Shops Night Race Storylines

  • Chris Buescher missed the playoffs after losing out in May during the closest finish in circuit history. Last Sunday Buescher claimed one of the top overtime finishes of the season. Did it make up for Kansas? Doubt it.
  • Will the non-playoff drivers continue to play havoc with the Round of 16? Buescher, Shane van Gisbergen, Carson Hocevar, Ross Chastain and Zane Smith all placed in the top five at Watkins Glen. Who’s next at Bristol?
  • Can Spire Motorsports continue to challenge the bigger garages? Hocevar, who earned a career-best P3 last Sunday, Zane Smith (P5) and Corey LaJoie (P10) all earned top-10 finishes. Smith and LaJoie registered their best all-time finishes on a road course.

Bass Pro Shops Night Race Driver Odds  

Here is an early look at the drivers’ odds for the Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway, according to BetOnline Sportsbook:

Driver NASCAR Cup Series’ Bass Pro Shops Night Race Odds
Denny Hamlin +400
Kyle Larson  +550
Christopher Bell +575
Ty Gibbs +800
Brad Keselowski +1000
Chris Buescher +1400
Ryan Blaney +1400
Martin Truex Jr. +1600
William Byron +1600
Joey Logano +1600
Tyler Reddick +1800
Chase Elliott +1800
Kyle Busch  +1800
Josh Berry +2500
Ross Chastain +3300
Chase Briscoe +3300
Alex Bowman +4000
Bubba Wallace +5000
  Michael McDowell   +8000
John Hunter Nemechek +8000
    Austin Cindric +10000
    AJ Allmendinger       +10000
Daniel Suarez +10000
Noah Gragson  +10000
Corey LaJoie +10000
Carson Hocevar +10000
  Erik Jones +10000
Austin Dillon +10000
Ryan Preece +15000
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. +15000
Justin Haley +20000
Todd Gilliland +25000
Harrison Burton +25000
Zane Smith +50000
Daniel Hemric +50000
Kaz Grala +50000
Josh Bilicki +50000

*-Odds current at time of publication

Bass Pro Shops Night Race Predictions and Picks  

Here are our best NASCAR Cup Series bets for the Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway: 

Kyle Larson (+550) 

Who can deny Larson’s recent success at Bristol? Whether on dirt or asphalt, the 2021 Cup titleholder has one win and four top-five finishes over the past four seasons.  

Christopher Bell (+575) 

In his past four Cup outings at Bristol, Bell has compiled two top-fives and three top-10s. As a constant presence among the lead packs, Bell collected 359 laps led during that span, second only Hamlin (370).  

William Byron (+1600) 

As the No. 10-ranked playoff pilot, Byron enters Saturday night 25 points above the elimination line and has registered three top 10s in his past four outings at Bristol. Considering the slumping driver has crashed three times since Indianapolis, this longshot could be a solid wager. 

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Author photo
Jeff Hawkins
Sports Editor

Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry, in both print and digital media. He joined the Sportscasting team in 2021 following a decade of freelancing. He spent his early career as a reporter for various newspapers in Illinois, New York, Florida, North Carolina, and Michigan, with a particular emphasis as a beat reporter for the Chicago Blackhawks. Jeff earned his bachelor's degree in journalism from Oakland University. Over the course of his career he earned several sports writing awards, including two national awards from the Associated Press Sports Editors for column writing and news reporting. One of the five prized columns included a commentary on NASCAR's increasing corporate influences, particularly in northern racetracks — commentary which you might find Jeff building on as part of the Motorsports writing team at Sportscasting now.  

Get to know Jeff Hawkins better
Author photo
Jeff Hawkins Sports Editor

Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry, in both print and digital media. He joined the Sportscasting team in 2021 following a decade of freelancing. He spent his early career as a reporter for various newspapers in Illinois, New York, Florida, North Carolina, and Michigan, with a particular emphasis as a beat reporter for the Chicago Blackhawks. Jeff earned his bachelor's degree in journalism from Oakland University. Over the course of his career he earned several sports writing awards, including two national awards from the Associated Press Sports Editors for column writing and news reporting. One of the five prized columns included a commentary on NASCAR's increasing corporate influences, particularly in northern racetracks — commentary which you might find Jeff building on as part of the Motorsports writing team at Sportscasting now.  

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