2019 Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol - Predictions and Odds

With only three races left before the postseason, the NASCAR Cup Series heads off to Bristol.

At such a crucial point, The Bullring could make or break the season for a number of drivers.

Some well-known names will be desperate to score a win in order to avoid being left out of the playoffs.

Bristol is also the place for close racing and, why not, for the occasional payback.

While it hasn’t offered much variety when it comes to race winners, The Coliseum is particularly dangerous for drivers sitting on the bubble.

How to Watch

What: Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race

Where: Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, TN

When: Saturday, August 17th at 7:30 PM EST

How: NBCSN (TV) | Performance Racing Network (Web radio) | NBC Sports App

Favorites to Win the 2019 Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race

Kyle Busch

With eight wins at Bristol, Kyle Busch is, undeniably, the heavy favorite for the weekend.

The Joe Gibbs driver is the man to beat at The Bullring.

Busch won three of the last four races at the half-mile track, including the April race this season.

After scoring five victories at the track in seven seasons, it took him six years to return to victory lane at Bristol.

Since then, however, the 2015 champion has been on a roll.

Busch led 344 laps over his last five starts at the track, good enough for third among the active drivers.

While his performance earlier this year wasn’t particularly dominant, he still ended up in victory lane.

It was the third of his four wins this season, which ties him for the series’ lead.

Busch is the points leader with 11 top 5 and a series’ best 19 top 10 finishes in 23 starts.

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Kurt Busch

Kurt Busch is the only driver that managed to defeat Kyle at Bristol in the past two seasons.

A specialist at The Bullring, the elder Busch brother is a six-time winner himself.

His most recent triumph came in last year’s edition of the night race.

The 2004 champion’s first career win came at the track back in 2002.

Busch went on to win four times in five starts.

After scoring a fifth win in 2006, it took him more than a decade to add number six to the list.

The Chip Ganassi driver finished second to his younger brother in April this year.

Busch is the highest-placed Chevrolet driver in the points standings.

He is currently seventh with one win, five top 5 and 12 top 10 finishes.

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Joey Logano

Joey Logano is a two-time winner at Bristol.

The Penske driver has eight top 10 finishes in his last ten starts at The Bullring.

Logano finished the last eight races at Bristol running on the lead lap, an impressive statistic.

His ability to keep out of trouble could pay off over the long run.

The reigning champion’s most recent triumph at Bristol came in 2015.

Logano scored stage wins in his last two starts at The Bullring and led 146 in April.

He is second in points with two wins, nine top 5 and 14 top 10 finishes.

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Outside Picks For the 2019 Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race

Ryan Blaney

Ryan Blaney led a total of 379 laps in his last five starts at Bristol, second among active drivers.

The Team Penske driver led the most laps in April with 158 on his way to a fourth place finish.

Blaney started the last five races at Bristol inside the top 10.

He scored a win in the Xfinity Series as a part-time driver in 2014.

The fourth place from earlier this year is best result at The Bullring in the Cup Series.

Blaney is coming off a strong sequence, having missed out on the top 10 only three times in nine starts.

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Jimmie Johnson

Jimmie Johnson could be a sneaky good pick for this weekend.

The seven-time champion is a two-time winner at Bristol.

The Hendrick Motorsports driver’s most recent win at The Bullring came in 2017.

He has continued to run well at the track despite the current winless streak.

Johnson’s best results during the 81-race drought are three third place finishes.

One of those came at Bristol in 2018.

The seven-time champion has three consecutive top 10 finishes at The Coliseum.

He is in a must-win situation, sitting outside the cutoff for the playoffs.

Johnson is down to 18th in points with three top 5 and eight top 10 finishes.

For the first time in his career, #48 is in real danger of missing out on the postseason.

The heat is definitely on for Bristol, which could lead to a strong performance.

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Kyle Larson

Kyle Larson is also looking forward to ending a winless streak.

The Chip Ganassi driver’s winless streak is now at 69 races.

While he has never won at Bristol, Larson has been incredibly solid at the half-mile track.

He scored two pole-positions and led a total of 489 laps in his last five starts there.

That’s good enough for first among active drivers during that span, and by a significant margin.

Larson finished four consecutive races inside the top 10 while scoring back-to-back second places in 2017 and 2018.

His performance earlier this year wasn’t as convincing, however, finishing down in 19th without leading a single lap.

A win would also do wonders for #42’s postseason hopes.

Larson is 13th in points with five top 5 and ten top 10 finishes.

After a terrible start to the season, #42 is carrying some positive momentum from recent races.

Four of his five top 5 finishes in 2019 came from the last seven races.

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2019 Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race Odds

* 21+ | NJ only | If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER