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Bass Pro Shops Night Race: Power Rankings

Joey Logano is a good ‘bet’ at Las Vegas.

By Mark Abell
NASCAR Cup Series Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images

Race Information

Race: Bass Pro Shops Night Race
Laps: 500
Date: September 18th @ 7:30pm
Venue: Bristol Motor Speedway
2020 Winner: Kevin Harvick (2:46:43)
Network: NBCSN

Track: Bristol Motor Speedway

Constructed in 1960, the Last Great Colosseum has its roots in authentic racing. This all-concrete surfaced oval track features turns at 26-30 degrees with straightaways at 6-10 degrees. It’s short at just over half a mile (0.533) and be prepared for some bumping to occur here. This makes it both amazing to watch and tough to predict, as many racers get knocked out mid-race. The sound that emits from this course is amazing.

IRWIN Tools Night Race Photo by Andrew Coppley - Pool/Getty Images for NASCAR

Favorites

Chase Elliot (seventh selection this year) – Chase has finished in the top 10 in five of the last six races. He had a strong rally last week after a bad pit stop, finishing 4th by the end of the race. He has four top 12 finishes across his last five races at Bristol.

Denny Hamlin (seventh selection this year) — Denny has landed among the top 5 here in 60% of the races since 2019. He has NOT landed outside the top 21 here in the last five years.

High Risk/High Reward

Kyle Busch (seventh selection this year) – Kyle has finished inside the top 10 in three of his last six races. He has finished among the top 5 at Bristol in all but one race here since 2019.

Kurt Busch (eighth selection this year). Going with both Busch brothers for high risk and high reward. Kurt has some solid recent results: 6th at Darlington, 4th at Michigan, and 6th at Indianapolis...and some not so great ones like 37th at Richmond and 16th at New Hampshire. Kurt has three top 10 finishes here since the start of 2019.

The Dark Horse

Daniel Suarez (fourth selection this year). Suarez sits 24th in points right now but has historically done well at Bristol where he has three top 10 finishes across his last five races here.

Fun Fact: From 1961 – 1971, three different relief drivers have won here but didn’t receive credit as they didn’t start the race.

2021 Results

Favorite: Average Finish 13th (34th Percent)
High Risk/High Reward: Average Finish 16th (43rd Percent)
Dark Horse: Average Finish 18th (47th Percent)