Venue & Event Details
Race: Bass Pro Shops Night Race – NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, Round of 16 (Race 3 of 3)
Start Time: 7:30 PM ET / 4:30 PM PT
Location: Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol, Tennessee
Track Type: Concrete short track, 0.533 miles, high-banked
Race Length: 500 laps (266.5 miles)
Broadcast: USA Network (TV), PRN/SiriusXM (Radio)
Weather Outlook
Conditions: Clear skies
Temperature: ~74°F at green flag, dropping into the mid-60s by the checkered flag
Wind: Light NE breeze, 3–5 mph
Impact: Ideal racing weather — no rain threat, track will cool through the night, increasing grip and potentially changing handling balance.
Playoff Picture & Stakes
This is the cutoff race for the Round of 16 — four drivers will be eliminated from championship contention after Bristol.
Locked In: Chase Briscoe, Denny Hamlin (wins at Darlington & Gateway)
Above Cut Line (but not locked): Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney, Christopher Bell, William Byron, Chase Elliott, etc.
Below Cut Line: Austin Dillon, Shane van Gisbergen, Alex Bowman, Josh Berry — Bowman & Berry likely need a win to advance.
Starting Lineup – Top 10
AJ Allmendinger – Kaulig Racing – First Cup pole since 2015
Ryan Blaney – Team Penske
Austin Cindric – Team Penske
Ty Gibbs – Joe Gibbs Racing
Kyle Larson – Hendrick Motorsports
Denny Hamlin – Joe Gibbs Racing
William Byron – Hendrick Motorsports
Bubba Wallace – 23XI Racing
Christopher Bell – Joe Gibbs Racing
Josh Berry – Stewart-Haas Racing
Key Storylines
Larson’s Bristol Dominance: Winner of the last two Cup races here, including April 2025 where he led 411 of 500 laps.
New Tire Compound: Goodyear bringing a softer right-side tire to increase wear and add pit strategy variables.
PJ1 Traction Compound: Applied to the bottom groove to promote side-by-side racing after a lackluster spring race.
Underdog Spotlight: AJ Allmendinger (+2500) on pole — could play spoiler if he stays mistake-free.
Short Track Specialists: Denny Hamlin (4 Bristol wins), Chase Briscoe (short track ace, current points leader).
Trends & Angles
Chevy Power: Larson, Byron, Elliott have combined to lead the majority of laps in the last three Bristol races.
JGR History: 15 Cup wins at Bristol; Hamlin & Gibbs both fast in practice.
Track Position: Bristol’s tight pit road makes qualifying & pit crew performance critical.
Playoff Pressure: Expect aggressive moves from drivers near the cut line — especially Bowman, Berry, Dillon, and SVG.
DRIVER ODDS
Kyle Larson + 250
Denny Hamlin + 450
Ryan Blaney + 850
Christopher Bell + 850
Chase Briscoe + 900
Chase Elliott + 1000
William Byron + 1500
Alex Bowman + 1500
Ty Gibbs + 1600
Joey Logano + 1800
Bubba Wallace + 2000
Brad Keselowski + 2200
Tyler Reddick + 2500
Kyle Busch + 2800
Josh Berry + 3000
Austin Dillon + 3500
Ross Chastain + 4000
Chris Buescher + 4500
Ryan Preece + 5500
Carson Hocevar + 5500
Austin Cindric + 8000
Shane Van Gisbergen + 10000
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. + 11000
John Hunter Nemechek + 12000
AJ Allmendinger + 12000
Erik Jones + 13000
Corey Heim + 15000
Daniel Suarez + 20000
Noah Gragson + 25000
Michael McDowell + 25000
Cole Custer + 25000
Justin Haley + 30000
Zane Smith + 35000
Austin Hill + 40000
Todd Gilliland + 60000
Ty Dillon + 70000
Riley Herbst + 90000
Cody Ware + 90000
Chad Finchum + 90000
Odds Courtesy of Sports Odds Direct as of Saturday, September 12, 2025
