The NASCAR Bass Pro Shops Night Race gets started under the lights on Saturday, September 19, at 7:30 p.m. ET at Bristol Motor Speedway on USA Network.
Saturday’s race features 266.5 laps spanning 500 miles at this short track. Tonight marks the third race in the Chase for the Cup, ending with a champion being crowned at Homestead on November 8.
One week after Christopher Bell picked up his first victory of the season, Kyle Larson got the proverbial monkey off his back and ended a 51-race winless stretch in last Sunday’s triumph at the Enjoy Illinois 300.
Below, we'll break down our NASCAR Bass Pro Shops Night Race predictions and pick to win for Saturday’s race, including top driver picks for PrizePicks.
Make your NASCAR picks for the Bass Pro Shops Night Race on PrizePicks.
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NASCAR Bass Pro Shops Night Race Winner, Top 10 Predictions for Bristol – Saturday, September 19
Bell won last season’s Bristol race during the Chase in September, marking his first victory at this track.
Ty Gibbs captured the checkered flag at the Food City 500 in the spring Bristol race, finishing right ahead of Ryan Blaney. Gibbs has placed 10th or lower in three of four career Bristol races in the fall.
The past three winners for the Bass Pro Shops Night Race are Gibbs (2025), Kyle Larson (2024), and Denny Hamlin (2023). Hamlin has posted 18th- and ninth-place finishes in the first two Chase races after compiling the most points in the drivers standings this season.
In the last eight Bristol events, Hamlin and Larson have placed in the top 10 seven times, while Christopher Bell has finished 10th or higher six times.
The favorite to win the Bass Pro Shops Night Race is Kyle Larson, entering Saturday's race, according to PrizePicks.
Larson currently returns a 4x payout if he wins, while Gibbs is right behind him at a 5.88x payout to win at Bristol, via PrizePicks.
Payouts show potential returns on correct Team Picks predictions. A 2x payout returns $200 on a $100 entry. Lower multipliers reflect outcomes users are picking as more likely. Payouts are live as of writing and subject to change.
NASCAR Bass Pro Shops Night Race Winner Payouts on PrizePicks
Here are the payouts for drivers to win the NASCAR Bass Pro Shops Night Race from Bristol Motor Speedway on PrizePicks.
Make your Bass Pro Shops Night Race pick on "Yes" or "No" to a driver to win.
NASCAR Starting Lineup for Bass Pro Shops Night Race: Larson Earns Pole Position
The NASCAR Bass Pro Shops Night Race qualifying on Friday was cancelled due to rain. According to qualifying metrics, Larson will start in the pole position for the first time this season on Saturday.
Larson has picked up lately, finishing in the top six in four of the last five races, capped off by last week’s victory at Illinois. He won each of the first two stages in the first Bristol race this season but posted a third-place finish despite leading for 284 laps.
Last Sunday, Larson started second and Joey Logano was on the pole, but the two veteran drivers are flip-flopped on the front row. Logano put together his sixth top-three finish at Illinois, placing third behind Larson and Alex Bowman.
According to Driver Averages, Larson’s 137.1 driver rating at the first Darlington race was his highest through 28 events this season.
Here is the full NASCAR Bass Pro Shops Night Race starting lineup at Bristol Motor Speedway for Saturday’s race at 7:30 p.m. ET on USA Network.
Row 1: Kyle Larson / Joey Logano
Row 2: Denny Hamlin / William Byron
Row 3: Carson Hocevar / Alex Bowman
Row 4: Ross Chastain / Austin Cindric
Row 5: Austin Dillon / Bubba Wallace
Row 6: Brad Keselowski / Christopher Bell
Row 7: Ty Gibbs / Erik Jones
Row 8: Connor Zilisch / Ryan Preece
Row 9: Cole Custer / AJ Allmendinger
Row 10: John H. Nemechek / Tyler Reddick
Row 11: Michael McDowell / Shane van Gisbergen
Row 12: Chris Buescher / Todd Gilliand
Row 13: Austin Hill / Chase Briscoe
Row 14: Chase Elliott / Daniel Suarez
Row 15: Ryan Blaney / Cody Ware
Row 16: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. / Josh Berry
Row 17: Ty Dillon / Riley Herbst
Row 18: Zane Smith / Noah Gragson
Row 19: Josh Bilicki
NASCAR Bass Pro Shops Night Race Predictions, Driver Picks for Bristol
Here are three of the top Bass Pro Shops Night Race picks to target in the NASCAR race from Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday.
Top PrizePicks NASCAR picks are headlined by three drivers: William Byron, Ryan Blaney, and Chase Briscoe.
William Byron – 8.5 Finishing Position
William Byron to finish top 10 in Bass Pro Shops Night Race: Yes 1.85x | No 1.63x
- Byron has yet to win at Bristol in 14 career races, including four finishes outside the top 10 in the last five opportunities.
- Two drivers in the last two weeks have won their first race of the season; Byron seeks his first victory since last October at Martinsville.
- Byron finished in the top eight for the first time in the past nine races in last Sunday’s event at Illinois, placing fourth.
- In the last four events at short tracks, Byron closed ninth or lower. However, his previous win did occur at the short track of Martinsville.
Add William Byron to your PrizePicks NASCAR picks now.
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Ryan Blaney – 5.5 Finishing Position
Ryan Blaney to finish top 10 in Bass Pro Shops Night Race: Yes 1.44x | No 2.22x
- Blaney has placed in the top 5 in three consecutive events at Bristol, including a second-place finish at the April event.
- He looks to rebound after crashing out at Illinois and placing 35th, his second-worst finish of 2026.
- In his previous 10 races at short tracks, Blaney owns seven top-10 finishes, including a pair of Stage 1 wins in the last two at Richmond and Iowa.
- Tonight marks his second-lowest starting position (29th) of the season. He finished 10th or higher in the previous three races when beginning 20th or lower.
Add Ryan Blaney to your PrizePicks NASCAR picks now.
Chase Briscoe – 8.5 Finishing Position
Chase Briscoe to finish top 10 in Bass Pro Shops Night Race: Yes 1.78x | No 1.88x
- Briscoe has enjoyed Bristol recently, finishing eighth or higher in three of the past four events.
- In last September’s Bass Pro Shops Night Race, Briscoe led for 127 laps before placing ninth.
- Briscoe suffered his fourth crash of the season last week. That may benefit him tonight as he finished eighth, third, and third in the previous four races following an accident in his last race.
- In the past four events at short tracks, Briscoe placed sixth or higher each time, capped off by a second-place finish at Richmond last month.
Add Chase Briscoe to your PrizePicks NASCAR picks now.
Make NASCAR Bass Pro Shops Night Race Predictions on PrizePicks
Larson is coming off his first win since last season. Can he capitalize off that momentum with a victory under the lights in Bristol this evening?
Don’t wait until lock — make your NASCAR Bass Pro Shops Night Race predictions on PrizePicks now and earn real money if you’re right.
There are unique picks on the NASCAR board for every race, including driver points and starting position; just pick at least two drivers to build your lineup on PrizePicks. Or make your picks on race winners on Team Picks, now available in 36 states, including Tennessee!
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