Bass Pro Shops Night Race odds have Kyle Larson on top at +400. The Cup Series returns to Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday night, and Larson arrives three days after ending a 51-race winless streak at World Wide Technology Raceway. Denny Hamlin and Ty Gibbs share the second line at +550. Below is a full read of the board, chalk to long shots.
Last Updated: Wednesday, September 16, 2026
2026 Bass Pro Shops Night Race — Time & How to Watch
| Where | Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol, TN |
| When | Saturday, September 19 – 7:30 PM ET |
| TV | USA Network |
2026 Bass Pro Shops Night Race Betting Preview
Bristol is a 0.533-mile concrete oval with steep banking, and the Cup cars run 500 laps for 266.5 miles. Stage 1 ends on lap 125 and Stage 2 on lap 250. Track position and tire management decide this race more than raw speed, which is one reason the top of the board stays compressed.
This is race three of 10 in the Chase, and the 2026 format changes the calculus. NASCAR’s revived Chase carries no elimination rounds. All 16 drivers run every race, and a win is now worth 55 points. In past Septembers this was a cutline scramble. Now it is a points race, so the market prices speed rather than desperation.
Hamlin leads the standings. Larson sits nine points back, with Christopher Bell nine further behind. Bell opened the Chase by winning the Southern 500. Gateway then produced a track-record 18 cautions and brake failures for Ryan Blaney, Chris Buescher and Chase Elliott. That damage helps explain Blaney’s +600.
Recent Bristol history splits between two names near the top. Bell won last year’s Bass Pro Shops Night Race. Gibbs scored his first career Cup win here in April. Goodyear brings back the same tire combination from that spring race, so April form carries unusual weight this week.
2026 Bass Pro Shops Night Race — Top Odds to Win
| Name | Odds |
|---|---|
| Kyle Larson | +400 |
| Denny Hamlin | +550 |
| Ty Gibbs | +550 |
| Ryan Blaney | +600 |
| Christopher Bell | +700 |
| Chase Briscoe | +1000 |
| Joey Logano | +1400 |
| Chase Elliott | +2000 |
| Carson Hocevar | +2200 |
| Tyler Reddick | +2200 |
Odds accurate as of Wednesday, September 16, 2026 via TheSpread.com. Odds change, get the latest NASCAR Odds – Props
Bass Pro Shops Night Race Odds Favorite: Kyle Larson
The case for Larson at +400 is straightforward. He has been the fastest car at Bristol for three straight visits. He won the 2024 night race, dominated the 2025 spring race, and led a race-high 284 laps here in April. The Gateway win also answers the question of whether the No. 5 team could close.
The vulnerability sits in the price. At +400 the implied probability is roughly 20 percent in a 36-driver market, and April is the counterexample. Larson led 284 laps five months ago and still finished third. One mistimed pit call or a late caution erases 200 laps of control. The returning tire package cuts both ways. It validates his April speed, and it repeats the conditions in which that speed did not convert into a win.
2026 Bass Pro Shops Night Race Mid-Board Contenders
The middle of this 36-driver board runs from roughly +2200 out to +15000.
Tyler Reddick (+2200) still ranks near the top of the championship market. He was collected in a multi-car wreck at Gateway. His race price reflects a season of speed without conversion, not a Bristol-specific weakness.
William Byron (+2500) is the most notable driver this far down. He made the Chase, but he is among the five drivers more than 100 points behind Hamlin. The board is grading him on results, not reputation.
Brad Keselowski (+3000) missed the Chase field, which explains most of the price. His Bristol record argues the other way. He finished second in last year’s night race, losing the lead only inside four laps to go.
Carson Hocevar (+2200) and Bubba Wallace (+3300) round out the group. Both made the Chase, and both sit behind the teams that have controlled Bristol lately.
Bass Pro Shops Night Race Long Shots on the Board
Past +15000 the board thins quickly. A few of these drivers have a real path at Bristol. The rest are priced as fliers.
Zane Smith (+25000) carries the clearest recent evidence. He finished third in last year’s night race, ahead of Blaney and Joey Logano. That does not make him a contender at this number, but it separates him from the tail.
Shane van Gisbergen (+15000) is the longest-priced driver with Cup wins on his résumé. Those wins came on road courses. A 500-lap concrete short track is close to the opposite of his best environment.
Connor Zilisch (+25000) is the rookie storyline. He drives the No. 88 for Trackhouse Racing in his first full Cup season and has no Cup record here. Austin Hill, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Todd Gilliland and Riley Herbst follow at +50000.
2026 Bass Pro Shops Night Race Odds: What to Watch
This board is a short top and a long tail. Five drivers sit inside +700, and prices fall away after Chase Briscoe at +1000. The market expects a winner from a small group, while respecting how easily Bristol turns into a survival exercise.
Qualifying runs Friday evening and is the biggest variable left. Track position is hard to recover here. A poor time trial should push a short price out, and a front-row run should pull a mid-board price in. For more on how this field has been graded, see our Enjoy Illinois 300 odds breakdown and Gateway race preview.
Tire wear is the other variable. Goodyear is running back the April combination, and that race produced a winner who was not the fastest car. Bristol also hosts its first Cup night race since the death of Kyle Busch in May. Busch won 23 NASCAR national series races here, more than any driver.
NASCAR Bass Pro Shops Night Race FAQ: Saturday September 19, 2026
Who is the favorite to win the Bass Pro Shops Night Race?
Kyle Larson is the favorite at +400. He led a race-high 284 laps at Bristol in April and won the previous two Cup races at the track. He enters the weekend second in Chase points after winning at World Wide Technology Raceway on September 13.
What time does the Bass Pro Shops Night Race start?
The 2026 Bass Pro Shops Night Race takes the green flag at 7:30 PM ET on Saturday, September 19, 2026. The venue is Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee, and the race is the third of 10 in the NASCAR Cup Series Chase.
What channel is the Bass Pro Shops Night Race on?
USA Network carries the 2026 Bass Pro Shops Night Race, with radio coverage from PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Cup Series qualifying at Bristol runs Friday, September 18, from 4:30 to 6:30 PM ET on truTV.
How many laps is the Bass Pro Shops Night Race?
The Bass Pro Shops Night Race is 500 laps around Bristol Motor Speedway’s 0.533-mile concrete oval, a total distance of 266.5 miles. Stage 1 ends on lap 125, Stage 2 ends on lap 250, and the final stage covers the last 250 laps.
Who won the Bass Pro Shops Night Race last year?
Christopher Bell won the 2025 Bass Pro Shops Night Race for Joe Gibbs Racing. He moved from fifth to the lead with four laps remaining and beat Brad Keselowski to the line by 0.343 seconds. Zane Smith finished third that night.
Who has the most Cup Series wins at Bristol Motor Speedway?
Darrell Waltrip holds the Bristol record with 12 NASCAR Cup Series victories, including seven straight during the 1980s. Rusty Wallace, Dale Earnhardt and Cale Yarborough are next with nine wins each, followed by Kyle Busch with eight.