A wild race last week at Gateway saw Kyle Larson finally break his winless streak and gather momentum as the Chase continues. Now, NASCAR heads to the legendary 0.5-mile at Bristol for the 2026 Bass Pro Shops Night Race.
The high banks and tight confines of Bristol often lead to bent bumpers and hot tempers. Will we see another Chase driver head to Victory Lane come Sunday or could someone outside the Chase notch a win?
Let’s dive in.
2026 Bass Pro Shops Night Race Entry List
Saturday night’s showdown at Bristol will feature 37 entries as Josh Bilicki joins the field behind the wheel of the #66 for Garage 66. Of note heading into this weekend, NASCAR has altered the wet-weather tire policy. Per a NASCAR press release, teams will now have more freedom to determine what tires to run, as opposed to NASCAR designating a track dry or wet and forcing teams to adhere to one type of tire. The governing body will still determine whether a race begins under wet-weather conditions, but this allows teams to choose the best tire configurations as conditions change.
The Chase gladiators are ready for their next battle. pic.twitter.com/W3S5UGwk3I
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) September 15, 2026
Bristol is a drastically different type of race track from the rest of the NASCAR schedule thanks to the high banks of the corners. Still, the tight corners often lead to contact and differing opinions on fault. We’ve seen tire wear play a massive role here in the past, but that wasn’t the case in the spring, and I wouldn’t bank on it being the case come Saturday night either. Track position and strategy will play roles, as will the ability to navigate lap traffic.
Chase Standings
Several Chase drivers found themselves dealing with issues last week at WWT Raceway, but the picture at the top at least remains the same with Denny Hamlin out front. Kyle Larson and Joey Logano were among the drivers who had the biggest gains thanks to strong finishes. In fact, Larson shrank Hamlin’s points lead to just nine points, as Hamlin’s recent form hasn’t quite been up to the standard that won him the regular season.
- Denny Hamlin
- Kyle Larson -9
- Christopher Bell -18
- Ryan Blaney -33
- Tyler Reddick -42
- Ty Gibbs -51
- Joey Logano -51
- Chase Briscoe -59
- Carson Hocevar -88
- Bubba Wallace -90
- Chase Elliott -93
- Austin Cindric -108
- Chris Buescher -111
- Ryan Preece -113
- William Byron
- Daniel Suarez -119
I don’t think the line between the contenders and the drivers only nominally in the Chase has changed that much from the first two races of the season. Perhaps the only shift is Logano bumping himself into contention for now with his performance at Gateway. However, I still don’t think the #22 team has the speed necessary at the intermediate tracks to truly contend. That win for Larson was massive, as it proved the #5 team can’t be counted out in spite of the seeming lack of speed from Hendrick Motorsports. Still, it feels like Denny Hamlin will bounce back at some point, and he’s still my championship favorite.
2026 Bass Pro Shops Night Race Predictions
Ty Gibbs won at Bristol back in the spring, and Gibbs, along with his JGR teammates, have to be the favorites to win. Briscoe and Hamlin both finished in the top ten in the spring. Meanwhile, Christopher Bell won this race a season ago.
Kyle Larson can’t be counted out here either, as the driver of the #5 has experienced loads of success at Bristol. Unfortunately for Hendrick Motorsports, I don’t believe the rest of the team will be in contention for the win.
A legendary line from a legendary driver.
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) September 16, 2026
Dale Earnhardt rattles Terry Labonte's cage at Bristol in 1999. pic.twitter.com/CFwYGZJNwR
Ryan Blaney notched a runner-up finish here in the spring and will likely factor into the equation as well. His Penske teammate Joey Logano finished in the top ten here as well, but I see the #22 as more of a dark horse. Speaking of dark horses from the Ford camp, keep an eye on Ryan Preece, as he was a top-ten finisher here in the spring as well.
However, I’m ultimately going back to JGR for my race winner, as I think Denny Hamlin will get back to his winning ways and open up his points lead a bit.
Check out the schedule below so you don’t miss any on-track action this week!
Thursday 09/17
Bush’s Best 200 (ARCA Menards Series) – 4:30 p.m. CT on FS1
UNOH 250 Presented by Ohio Logistics (NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series) – 7:00 p.m. CT on FS1
Friday 09/18
NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Practice – 1:00 p.m. CT on the ESPN App
NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Qualifying – 2:05 p.m. CT on the ESPN App
NASCAR Cup Series Practice – 3:30 p.m. CT on TruTV
NASCAR Cup Series Practice – 4:40 p.m. CT on TruTV
Food City 300 (NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series) – 6:30 p.m. CT on the CW
Saturday 09/19
Bass Pro Shops Night Race (NASCAR Cup Series) – 6:30 p.m. CT on USA and HBO Max
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