The Round of 16 finale for the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs will take place on Saturday at Bristol Motor Speedway with the Bass Pro Shops Night Race. Tyler Reddick is coming off a big win in Kansas but doesn't head into this event as one of the favorites. Instead, Kyle Larson is the clear frontrunner at +550, followed by William Byron (+750), Denny Hamlin (+800), Christopher Bell (+800), Brad Keselowski (+850), and Chase Elliott (+1100), among others. After this race, the Round of 8 will begin next weekend in Texas. Continue reading for the Bass Pro Shops Night Race picks.
Before we get into the preview, odds, and predictions for this race, check out our how-to bet on NASCAR page.
Bass Pro Shops Night Race Odds
| Driver |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kyle Larson | +550 | +550 | +600 |
| William Byron | +750 | +850 | +800 |
| Denny Hamlin | +800 | +800 | +800 |
| Christopher Bell | +800 | +850 | +800 |
| Brad Keselowski | +850 | +850 | +800 |
| Chase Elliott | +1000 | +1200 | +1000 |
| Kyle Busch | +1100 | +1100 | +1200 |
| Kevin Harvick | +1100 | +1200 | +1600 |
| Chris Buescher | +1200 | +1200 | +1100 |
| Tyler Reddick | +1400 | +1600 | +1200 |
While most of the Cup Series races are on Sundays, this one is on Saturday night. It takes place in Bristol, Tennessee. There are 500 laps in total, with 125 in stages 1 and 2 before 250 in the final stage. Among the current Cup Series drivers, Kyle Busch has the most wins here with three in 2009, 2010, and 2017. Chris Buescher is the reigning champion from 2022.
Race Preview
Kyle Larson (+550)
Larson is currently the favorite to win the playoffs at the moment and has already secured a victory in the postseason, winning at Darlington at the start of the month. He was pretty impressive in Kansas too, finishing in fourth place. It was a very solid season for the 2021 champion, winning four races in total and finding himself as a favorite for countless races. He tends to do well on short tracks, too. Two wins came on this type of surface and has seven top-10 finishes at Bristol lifetime. Just considering his consistency all year, he's definitely worth a look on Saturday evening.
William Byron (+750)
Byron had a fantastic season and finished at the top of the standings heading into the playoffs. He also appears to be in great form. Byron was 15th in Kansas but finished fourth at Darlington, eighth at Daytona, and first at Watkins Glen. While the Bristol race earlier in the year was dirt, he finished in 13th. However, his consistency on short tracks is a bit shaky, winning at Phoenix and finishing fourth at Dover but landing in 21st or worse in four of the other five short tracks.
Denny Hamlin (+800)
Hamlin tends to thrive on short tracks, finishing top seven in four consecutive appearances. Not only is that good news, but Hamlin is also high on confidence at the moment. He barely lost last weekend, finishing in second. In fact, he's finished either first, second, or third in five of the last eight races. Not bad, right? He was ninth in this race in 2022 and actually won it four years ago. Don't count Hamlin out.
Christopher Bell (+800)
Bell is one you can most certainly fade on Saturday. He's not good at Bristol by any means. His last three finishes there were 28th, 29th, and fourth. Yes, the latter looks good, but he's just so unpredictable on at this event. In recent memory, he's just not driving well either, with only one top-five finish since February. It's doubtful Bell turns up and wins a race.
Brad Keselowski (+850)
Keselowski is a seasoned veteran and has been flourishing as of late. He's finished top-10 in three straight races. Keselowski was second at Daytona, sixth at Darlington, and ninth at Kansas last weekend. He hasn't finished better than 11th in any Bristol race since last season, though. Perhaps one to fade for an outright win, but a specific bet could very well be worth it.
Joey Logano (+1400)
Yes, Logano is way down at +1400, but there's reason to watch him here. While he struggled at Bristol in 2022, he secured seven top-10 finishes in his last 12 appearances on this track prior. And out of the six short track races this season, Logano was top five in three of them. Could that success continue?
Bass Pro Shops Night Race Picks
And now to the picks. As always, we'll hammer a few different bets. First, let's go with Keselowski for a top-10 finish. Also, Chevrolet has won the most races at Bristol so it's worth taking them as the winning manufacturer at +135 odds. Lastly, for the winner, I'm going to go with the favorite and take Larson to ride the high.
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