NASCAR Betting Odds: Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race

After a weekend off, the final one of the season, it’s time to for the NASCAR Sprint Cup series to head back to the track, and what better place to return than one of the most highly anticipated races of the year.

The NASCAR night race at Bristol Motor Speedway is a favorite among fans and competitors and a win here is hard earned and highly prized. A win at Bristol is also important for another reason. Only four races remain until the Chase field is locked in after Richmond. Only four more chances for a driver to either win their way into the Chase, or for a driver to add another victory to their season total.

There is a bit of a twist for this weekend

There is a bit of a twist for this weekend. Since the NASCAR spring race at Bristol, the track has undergone some minor changes, mainly in the bottom groove of the racing surface. In addition to some polishing, a material has been added that will help rubber from the tires stick better. Will it help? That’s one big question that will only be answered Saturday night.

Here are my favorites for Saturday’s 23rd race of the year for your betting or fantasy racing leagues.  Driver Ratings are compiled from 2005-2016 races (23 total) among active drivers at Bristol Motor Speedway.  The Driver Rating is a number based on a formula developed by NASCAR which combines “loop data” elements such as average running position, average speed under green, number of fastest laps, and other stats. There is a maximum of 150 points that a driver can earn for each race. The odds from VegasInsider.com are current as of Wednesday.

Matt Kenseth (8-1) has four wins at Bristol, the last coming in the spring of 2015. He lost an engine early in the night race last season, and suffered two blown tires here in the spring after leading 142 laps.  He will be looking for redemption Saturday night, and with the highest driver rating in the field, 102.1, should be in a great position to do just that.

Carl Edwards (8-1) is another of the Joe Gibbs Racing cars among the top picks this week. He won here in the spring leading a race high 276 laps. That was his fourth career win at Bristol and his second in the spring. He has the sixth highest driver rating in the field, 94.1, and a pretty good shot at adding a fifth win and completing a season sweep Saturday night.

Kyle Busch (6-1) is the third Joe Gibbs Racing entry among the favorites this week. Busch crashed out of this race in the spring, but lead a race high 192 laps in this race last year only to see his hopes for victory dashed by a loose wheel and a pit road speeding penalty. He does have the second highest driver rating among the field, 99.7, and has five wins overall which puts him in a three way tie for the most among active drivers.

Kurt Busch (12-1) is looking to bust up the JGR party and get one up on his brother. The elder Busch brother is part of the three way tie for most wins here. He has the seventh best driver rating, 93.4. His last win was back in 2006, but he did finish third here in the spring after leading 40 laps.

Joey Logano (8-1) is the defending winner of this race, leading 176 laps in route to his second career win at Bristol last August. His driver rating, 85.6, is 12th in the field, but if he can recapture the magic he had last August, he could be a contender Saturday night.

OTHERS: Jeff Gordon will be setting in for Dale Earnhardt Jr. again. Gordon is the third driver tied for the most wins at Bristol and his driver rating is third in the field, 99.5. Kevin Harvick was second here last August, and has the fifth highest driver rating in the field 94.4. No one would be surprised if Harvick added a second career Bristol win Saturday night.

must read: Stenhouse To Honor Clauson At Bristol

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol will be run on Saturday August 20.  Live coverage will be on the NBC Sports Network starting at 7:00 p.m. ET with the green flag coming  just after 7:30 p.m. ET.