Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Preview

The Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway is set to get underway on Saturday at 8:00 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network. After a week off from the grueling NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule, the teams head to the half-mile bullring in Tennessee. The wild and raucous crowd will be out in droves to watch the best drivers in the world compete under the lights on the high banks of Thunder Valley.

Joe Gibbs Racing’s Carl Edwards dominated the spring race at Bristol earlier this year. Furthermore, he won the Coors Light Pole Position Award and led 276 of the 500 laps turned on his way to Victory Lane. Edwards has flat out been the best driver on the short tracks in 2016.

The #19 Toyota Camry has finished in the top two in three of the five short track contests this year. Edwards only finish outside the top six came at Dover. Unfortunately, he was running second at the end of the race but was spun out by Kyle Larson. Look for more of the same from the speedster in the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race. Edwards will once again start out front thanks to his qualifying efforts on Friday. Odds makers have the defending race winner an 8/1 favorite to repeat as the race’s winner.

Denny Hamlin will look to make it two in a row after winning at Watkins Glen two weeks ago. The Joe Gibbs Racing hot-shot won this contest in 2012 after leading 70 laps. Once again, Hamlin brought plenty of speed to the race track this week. During the first round of qualifying on Friday, Hamlin broke his own record for the fastest lap recorded at Bristol.

As a result, he will be starting in the second spot for the Bass Pro shops NRA Night Race on Saturday. Las Vegas has him set at 9/1 to win back to back Sprint Cup Series races. The driver of the #11 Fed Ex Express Toyota is excited to go out and take advantage of his momentum.

“Obviously any time you can win it’s a boost for the entire team,” said Denny Hamlin. I think after Sonoma, we wanted to win on a road course really bad. We were able to get that done at Watkins Glen and now we have turned our focus to the rest of the regular season. We are also trying to build momentum for the Chase. We’ve had some really good tracks coming up for our FedEx team and the goal is to get another win to help our seeding in the Chase.”

Kyle Busch looks poised to make the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol his fifth win of 2016. Busch’s #18 M&M’s Toyota Camry was the fastest car on the track for the first two rounds of practice. His qualifying round wasn’t that bad either. The defending Sprint Cup champion will start in the third spot for the main event.

Don’t let Busch’s last race here, when he crashed his car and finished 37th, fool you. The speedster has claimed victory here on five different occasions. Twice Busch has swept both races held at Bristol Motor Speedway in the same year. Furthermore, the talented driver managed to drive his way to a solid third place finish at the spring race in April. Line-setters have “Rowdy” the favorite to drive on to glory at 5/1 odds.

If any driver can find a way to beat the Joe Gibbs Racing juggernaut, Joey Logano might just be that driver. Logano has won the last two August races at Bristol Motor Speedway. Furthermore, he ranks third in laps led with 256, in the four races with the current tire combination. Logano finished 10th in the spring event for his fifth top 10 in 15 starts at Thunder Valley.

The Team Penske machines have not had as much horsepower as the Joe Gibbs Racing cars this year. That advantage should be nullified on the .533 mile, high banked oval. I see Logano finishing in the top five or better for the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race in Tennessee. Las Vegas agrees and has the feisty competitor as a 8/1 favorite to get the job done on Saturday.

Erik the Hun’s Fantasy Line-up:

A: Denny Hamlin

B: Jimmie Johnson  Kasey Kahne  Kyle Larson

C: Jeff Gordon

Odds to Win the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway: