The NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) heads to Bristol Motor Speedway (BMS) for the Bass Pro Shops Night Race. This is the sixth time Bristol Motor Speedway has hosted the third race of the NCS Playoffs Round of 16 elimination race. Only one driver has won the event and gone on to win the series title in the same season. That was in 2021, when Kyle Larson won the third race of the NCS Playoffs and went on to win his first NASCAR Cup Series title.
Alex Bowman captured the pole last season on September 20, 2024, with a lap of 126.720 mph (15.142 secs.) and Kyle Larson led four times for a race-high 462 of the 500 laps, swept both stage periods, and he lapped all but nine of the 37 starters to cruise to his fifth Cup Series victory of the 2024 season.
Track & Race Information for the Bass Pro Shops Night Race
Season Race #: 29 of 36 (09-13-25)
Playoff Race: Round of 16 Elimination Race (3 of 10)
The Purse: $10,447,135
Track Size: 0.533 miles
Banking/Turns: 24-28 degrees
Banking/Frontstretch: 4-8 degrees
Banking/Backstretch: 4-8 degrees
Frontstretch Length: 650 feet
Backstretch Length: 650 feet
Race Length: 500 laps / 266.5 miles
Time
Saturday, September 13 at 7:30 p.m. ET on USA Network, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90)
Stages
Stages 1 & 2 Length: 125 laps (each)
Final Stage Length: 250 laps
Who and what should you look out for at Bristol Motor Speedway?
Kyle Busch leads all active NCS drivers in starts at BMS with 37 starts, and Chase Elliott leads all active NCS drivers in average starting position at BMS with an 8.563 in 16 starts. Denny Hamlin leads all active NCS drivers in poles at BMS with four (2013, 2014, 2015, 2019).
Active driver top 10 in average starting positions at BMS:
| Rank | Driver | Average Start | # Races |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chase Elliott | 8.563 | 16 |
| 2 | Ryan Blaney | 9.000 | 17 |
| 3 | Joey Logano | 9.900 | 30 |
| 4 | Chase Briscoe | 10.167 | 6 |
| 5 | Brad Keselowski | 10.429 | 28 |
| 6 | William Byron | 11.417 | 12 |
| 7 | Christopher Bell | 11.625 | 8 |
| 8 | Denny Hamlin | 11.667 | 36 |
| 9 | Kyle Larson | 12.389 | 18 |
| 10 | Josh Berry | 12.667 | 3 |
Kyle Busch leads the NCS among active drivers in wins with eight victories in 37 starts and is also the youngest race winner (March 25, 2007) at 21 years, 10 months, 23 days.
Active driver BMS Winners:
| Driver | Wins | Seasons |
|---|---|---|
| Kyle Busch | 8 | 2019, ’18, ’17, ’11, ’10, ’09 sweep, ’07 |
| Denny Hamlin | 4 | 2024, 2023, 2019, ’12 |
| Kyle Larson | 3 | 2025, ’24, ’21 |
| Brad Keselowski | 3 | 2020, ’12, ’11 |
| Joey Logano | 2 | 2015, ’14 |
| Chris Buescher | 1 | 2021 |
- Kyle Larson (No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet) has one pole, three wins, eight top fives, 13 top 10s, and the series-best average finish of 10.444.
- Chase Elliott (No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet) has one pole, five top fives, nine top 10s, and an average finish of 11.250.
- Christopher Bell (No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota) has one pole, three top fives, six top 10s, and an average finish of 12.000.
- Denny Hamlin (No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota) has four poles, four wins, 13 top fives, 20 top 10s, and an average finish of 12.972.
- Chase Briscoe (No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota) has one top five, two top 10s, and an average finish of 13.167.
