NASCAR Cup Series: Bass Pro Shops Night Race Betting Odds & Analysis

The NASCAR Cup Series hits the next stop on the playoff schedule when it heads to Bristol for a night race on Saturday evening. Below, we’ll analyze the Bass Pro Shops Night Race betting odds and analyze them to give you everything you need to know before bet on NASCAR Cup race. This is the final race of the Round of 16 for the Cup Series playoffs.

Track Info

Bristol is a 0.533-mile track, where drivers will race 500 laps. The first two stages are 125 laps apiece with the final stage being 250 throughout 266.5 miles. The track isn’t known for its high speeds, but it’s still one of the more exciting tracks, as there can be a lot of contact between the cars.

Who are the Favorites?

Chase Elliott and Denny Hamlin each come in tied atop the Bass Pro Shops Night Race betting odds board at +750. The former doesn’t have a Cup Series win at Bristol but did win the All-Star race there back in 2020. He’s run consistently but hasn’t gotten the finishes he’s wanted. In his last three Cup Series starts at Bristol, (excluding the road course), he’s finished in the top five in the first two stages. Out of the possible six, he was leading after three of them.

As for Hamlin, He has two wins in 31 starts on the Bristol oval. His last win at Bristol came in August of 2019. He’s finished in the top 10, 15 times, and in the top five nine times. Toyotas across the board haven’t had the year fans are accustomed to, but this is another chance for Toyotas to come out on top, especially following Bubba Wallace’s win at Kansas in the last race.

Right Up There

Three drivers come in tied at +800: Christopher Bell, Kyle Busch, and Kyle Larson.

Out of the three, Bell’s odds stick out and are rather perplexing. He has just one career finish inside the top 10 at Bristol with his last two being outside the top 25. In this race last season he finished eighth in both the first and second stages. Bell has been arguably the most consistent Toyota this season. It’s still tough to want to take Bell at those odds considering Busch’s Bristol resume. He’s currently the leader in the playoff standings and is the only driver guaranteed to make it to the second round

Busch leads all active drivers with eight wins at Bristol. The next closest is his brother Kurt, who has missed races due to complications following a concussion. In Kyle Busch’s last eight races at Bristol, he’s won three times. In that span is also a second-place finish and a pair of fourth-place finishes. You can’t fake desperation and Busch is on the outside looking in to make it to the next round barring a vintage Bristol performance from the two-time champion.

While Larson’s young resume doesn’t quite stack up with Kyle Busch’s, he’s still performed darn well at Bristol in his own right. He won the fall race at Bristol last season and has finished outside of the top 10 just once in his last seven starts at Bristol. That stretch includes a pair of second-place finishes.

Best of the Rest

Kevin Harvick comes into the Bass Pro Shops Night Race betting odds board at +900. Harvick has been a great story this season. After a winless streak, he came back to win two in a row. He’s also second among active drivers in laps led at Bristol. He finished second in this race last season after leading 71 laps and first in 2020 while leading 226 laps. Harvick will be looking for a better performance this week after crashing and finishing last at Kansas.

Joey Logano comes in at +1400 on the Bass Pro Shops Night Race betting odds board. Logano is currently fourth in the playoff standings. He does have a pair of wins at Bristol for this career, but he hasn’t performed as well there lately. In his last four Cup Series races at Bristol, he’s failed to crack the top 10.

At +1600 is William Byron. Byron is currently third in the playoff standings. Typically, Byron does better on the faster tracks, but he did finish third at Bristol in this race last season. A top performance would do wonders for Byron in terms of helping him advance to the next round.

Where’s the Value?

When looking to bet on the Bass Pro Shops Night Race, value is key. There will be a lot of jockeying for positions. Bristol doesn’t leave a lot of room for forgiveness when it comes to passing. There can be a driver you bet on that’s run in the top five all day, but gets spun out with five laps to go.

As we mentioned above, you can’t fake desperation, and that’s exactly what Kyle Busch is right now. Currently 10 points behind Austin Cindric for his playoff life, Busch will likely pull out all the stops and do whatever it takes to get into the next round. He’s available at +200 to finish in the top three and +100 for the top five in what could be his last playoff race as a member of Joe Gibbs Racing.

Harvick is in a similar situation. He’s currently 35 points out of the cutoff line for the next round. Realistically to make it to the next round, he needs a win, or at least a finish in the top three, and perhaps some help along the way. Harvick can be had at +225 for a top-three finish and +120 for a top-five finish.