Bass Pro Shops Night Race Predictions & Odds 2026: NASCAR Picks, Props, Best Bets at Bristol

Gateway was an unpredictable and unprofitable follow-up to our big payday at Darlington. Fortunately, we’re back under the lights this week, so let's bounce back with my NASCAR predictions at Bristol for the 2026 Bass Pro Shops Night Race!

The action is scheduled for Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET (USA Network) from Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tenn. Practice and qualifying will get underway Friday at 4:30 p.m. ET (truTV).

📈 NASCAR odds at Bristol: Bass Pro Shops Night Race

💡 How to bet NASCAR at Bristol Motor Speedway

Bristol Motor Speedway is a 0.533-mile banked concrete oval. We’ll see the short-track package in use again this weekend, which produced a competitive race in the spring. Ryan Blaney (+500) and Kyle Larson (+400) scored the best driver ratings and topped the charts in average green-flag speed, but Ty Gibbs (+600) ultimately came home victorious.

Unlike other short-tracks, Bristol has two viable racing grooves, and unexpected winners (or near-winners) are not all that uncommon. Thursday’s Truck Series race produced a first-time winner. A full-time car chief and part-time driver finished second. We’ll be backing one of the two big names listed above along with some longer-shot options further down the board as a result.

🏆 Best bet to win the Bass Pro Shops Night Race

Ryan Blaney, Team Penske (No. 12)

• Ryan Blaney to win: +650 via bet365
• Ryan Blaney top 5: +125 via bet365

Blaney was more impressive than Gibbs and Larson here in the spring. He only finished second, but he had the most fastest laps with 118 and the highest average green-flag speed. He also vastly outproduced Larson as a passer, racking up 57 green-flag passes and 56 quality passes to Larson’s 19 and 18.

Yet despite his strong run in the spring, Blaney is only +650 (13.3%) to win and +125 (44.4%) to score a top 5 at bet365. Almost every other book lists him at +500 (16.7%) and -120 (54.6%), respectively.

Over the last four Bristol races, Blaney has a worst finish of sixth with an average result of 4.3. I trust him to keep this streak of good runs together with another top 5 performance on Saturday night.

🔥 More NASCAR picks & prop bets

Austin Cindric, Team Penske (No. 2)

• Austin Cindric to win: +5000 via BetMGM
• Austin Cindric top 10: +210 via BetMGM

Cindric, Blaney’s teammate, started inside in ninth and ran inside the top 10 for most of the spring race, only to fall off late and score a 16th-place finish. Still, he ranked 12th by average green-flag speed and spent 400 of 505 laps inside the top 15. While he doesn’t have a top 10 here yet in Cup, he posted three top 5s here in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, including a near-win in 2021. Team Penske equipment is more than good enough for him to get the job done, so let’s lock him in at long-shot odds on BetMGM.

Ryan Preece, RFK Racing (No. 60)

• Ryan Preece to win: +5000 via FanDuel
• Ryan Preece top 10: +250 via bet365

Preece has been and will remain a mainstay of this column until the books catch up. He managed an eighth-place finish here in the spring despite starting in 17th, thanks to the third-best pass differential (19), the ninth-most fastest laps (15), and the 10th-best average green-flag speed. Preece is no stranger to Victory Lane here, either, with a win for Joe Gibbs Racing in the O'Reilly Series back in 2018. He remains far too much of a long shot to leave off your card with his short-track experience and solid No. 60 Ford.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Hyak Motorsports (No. 47)

• Ricky Stenhouse Jr. to win: +30000 via BetMGM
• Ricky Stenhouse Jr. top 10: +1600 via BetMGM

Let’s wrap up with a real underdog in Ricky Stenhouse Jr. I’m certain that the veteran driver has Bristol circled on his calendar every season – in 24 starts, all of which came in less-than-great equipment, Stenhouse has four top 5s and seven top 10s, including a pair of runner-up finishes in 2014 and 2016. Hyak Motorsports doesn’t give him race-winning equipment, but, with enough carnage, Stenhouse could easily pilot his No. 47 Chevrolet to a top 10 (or an upset win). He has a far better chance to shock the world than his odds imply, and we risk almost nothing for a massive return at the current odds.

💰 My NASCAR bets at Bristol

Here are the actual NASCAR bets I'm making for the Bass Pro Shops Night Race with the best odds from our top sports betting sites for Saturday’s race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Total wagered: 3.5 units | Max profit: 22.11 units (Stenhouse Jr. win)

🏆 Past NASCAR winners at Bristol

Here is a list of every NASCAR race winner at Bristol Motor Speedway in the Next Gen era:

The last two Bristol races have seen late-race moves determine the winner. The dominant drivers this spring were Kyle Larson (284 laps led) and Ryan Blaney (190). Last fall, it was Ty Gibbs (201). The only other driver who led the most laps but failed to win the race was Christopher Bell in 2023 (187).

📺 How to watch NASCAR at Bristol: 2026 Bass Pro Shops Night Race

• Date: Saturday, Sept. 19
• Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
• Location: Bristol Motor Speedway (Bristol, Tenn.)
• TV: USA Network
• Track: 0.533-mile banked short track (500 laps, 266.5 miles)
• Stages: Stage 1 (125 laps), Stage 2 (125 laps), final stage (250 laps)