NASCAR heads to Bristol, Tennessee, for the Bass Pro Shops Night Race. The top 16 for the playoff chase conclude their battle for the final 12 spots. Oh, now two drivers have clinched. Tyler Reddick won in overtime last week at Kansas. So, the final leg of the first round takes place this Saturday night. Fortunately, the NASCAR Vegas betting odds for the Bristol race are here. Get ready for 500 laps of short-track chaos.
The Bristol numbers for Saturday night are a little crunched with five drivers shorter than +1000. Now, there lies the added pressure of this being the final race for leg number one. Again, with Kyle Larson and Tyler Reddick clinching, there are just ten spots left to make the Round of 12. Fortunately, the Bovada online betting sportsbook delivered the first numbers for the night race on Saturday.
| Bass Pro Shops Night Race |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kyle Larson | +600 | +550 | +550 |
| Denny Hamlin | +750 | +750 | +700 |
| Christopher Bell | +850 | +800 | +750 |
| Brad Keselowski | +900 | +850 | +800 |
| William Byron | +1000 | +750 | +800 |
| Chase Elliott | +1100 | +1000 | +1200 |
| Kyle Busch | +1100 | +1200 | +1200 |
| Chris Buescher | +1200 | +1200 | +1200 |
| Kevin Harvick | +1200 | +1400 | +1400 |
| Martin Truex Jr. | +1400 | +1400 | +1500 |
| Ryan Blaney | +1400 | +1400 | +1600 |
| Tyler Reddick | +1600 | +1400 | +1600 |
| Joey Logano | +1800 | +1400 | +2000 |
| Ross Chastain | +2000 | +1400 | +2000 |
Friday qualifying and Saturday racing will feature Mostly Sunny with gorgeous weather. Temperatures will be dropping into the 60s for Saturday night.
NASCAR Bristol Bets conclude leg one and give us a few options. With only 14 drivers left, we are in some unexpected binds because some drivers struggled at both Darlington and Kansas. It left the playoff standings quite a mess. Even Martin Truex Jr. is on the outside looking in at 13th. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has not had one top-ten result at Bristol in his past four appearances. Worse, he has a negative place differential each time.
Now, this Bristol race has races within the race. Bristol has parts where it is kind of like Dover, but it is quite the unique track. The 0.533-mile centrifuge has 24-28 degree banking on the turns with a 5-9 degree slope on the backstretch and 4-8 degrees on the front. Bristol Motor Speedway creates kind of its own racing conditions, and it goes fast. Average laps can be around 15-16 seconds.
Alas, back to the drama at hand. Denny Hamlin nearly won last week but fell asleep at the wheel as Kyle Larson lagged back. That allowed Tyler Reddick to sneak through, take the lead, and punch his spot into the Round of 12. Larson finished in fourth. Hamlin took second and is 49 points above the cutline. His chances of missing the next round are almost zero. Several drivers need to win or do well, which could increase the caution.
VegasBetting did not do too poorly last week, but it was great for Toyota. That Toyota 1-2 finish was nice. After that, it was not so hot. Bristol does not typically have overtime, but then again, Kansas does not either.
NASCAR Bristol bets go in several directions on Saturday night. Okay, overtime typically does not happen. There is a much better chance of a rain delay happening (not this year). The problem with Bristol being the last race on the first leg is that the racing strategy will be chaotic. Drivers and teams will be looking at points and stage wins. That could cause its own share of headaches.
Bristol kind of features its own battle with RFK Racing and Hendrick Motorsports. The last two winners have come from one (Chris Buescher) or the other (Kyle Larson in 2021). Ford’s seem to be faster in qualifying, with the Chevy having some longer-run speed. However, as the segments roll along, there are some results that are unexpected. See last year’s speed chart below.
Now, the Toyota had some issues last year with power steering. That claimed Martin Truex Jr. and impacted Bubba Wallace’s night significantly. Among the other “bottom four” drivers, Michael McDowell survived to 12th, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. got gobbled up by the big one early in the final stage. Again, there truly is no exact science in trying to figure out Bristol.
Naturally, with the Round of 12 looming, there are several cars to take a shot at. Last week, the gold of Reddick-Hamlin was pure luck. As we mentioned above, almost anyone could win at Bristol. Ford may not have the late lap speed this time around. Then again, they might. It is that unknown which creates intrigue. A fun shot in the dark may be to look at Brad Keselowski. He has not won since the 2021 Geico 500 more than two years ago.
Vegas online betting site bonuses and boosts are for racing, too. With how good Hendrick has been on short tracks like this, there is either Chase Elliott, William Byron, or Kyle Larson. Last year, they all finished in the top five, with Elliott coming in second. Even the No. 9 car came up with something a little bold for the race this Saturday night.
Yes, the stage structure (125-125-250) favors drivers that can go on longer runs. It is kind of where Hendrick starts to excel. Now, the problem is it seems like a Ford always leads a lot of laps. When Kyle Larson does not lead, Chase Elliott leads more laps since 2020 (240) compared to the No. 5 car. Qualifying should be fun, with Larson battling the Ford cars. Check closer to Friday for numbers there.
The NASCAR Bristol wagers like a few more cars. Again, Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr. have top-ten potential, but a win feels unlikely. It is hard to count out guys like Chris Buescher and even Chase Briscoe here. However, Elliott could be a fun disturber of the apple cart.
NASCAR Bristol Bets for VegasBetting sticks with Brad Keselowski for Saturday night.
