The NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) heads to Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday night for the Bass Pro Shops Night Race at 7:30 p.m. ET on the USA Network.
Last fall, AJ Allmendinger won the Busch Light Pole Award with a lap of 126.930 mph to claim his fifth career pole in the NASCAR Cup Series, and Christopher Bell held off a hard-charging Brad Keselowski to win the Bass Pro Shops Night Race for his fourth win of the season.
The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Chase Point Standings after World Wide Technology Raceway
| Rank | Driver | Points | Behind | Next | Starts | Race Wins | Stage Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denny Hamlin | 2,168 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 4 | 5 | 14 | 18 |
| 2 | Kyle Larson | 2,159 | -9 | 9 | 28 | 1 | 6 | 11 | 15 |
| 3 | Christopher Bell | 2,150 | -18 | 9 | 28 | 1 | 5 | 12 | 14 |
| 4 | Ryan Blaney | 2,135 | -33 | 15 | 28 | 3 | 8 | 7 | 18 |
| 5 | Tyler Reddick | 2,126 | -42 | 9 | 28 | 5 | 2 | 12 | 17 |
| 6 | Ty Gibbs | 2,117 | -51 | 9 | 28 | 2 | 5 | 11 | 17 |
| 7 | Joey Logano | 2,117 | -51 | 0 | 28 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 11 |
| 8 | Chase Briscoe | 2,109 | -59 | 8 | 28 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 14 |
| 9 | Carson Hocevar | 2,080 | -88 | 29 | 28 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 10 |
| 10 | Bubba Wallace | 2,078 | -90 | 2 | 28 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 12 |
| 11 | Chase Elliott | 2,075 | -93 | 3 | 28 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 9 |
| 12 | Austin Cindric | 2,060 | -108 | 15 | 28 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
| 13 | Chris Buescher | 2,057 | -111 | 3 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 10 |
| 14 | Ryan Preece | 2,055 | -113 | 2 | 28 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 8 |
| 15 | William Byron | 2,054 | -114 | 1 | 28 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 12 |
| 16 | Daniel Suarez | 2,049 | -119 | 5 | 28 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 7 |
Track & Race Information for the Bass Pro Shops Night Race
Season Race: No. 29 of 36 (Date: Sept. 19, 2026)
The Purse: $11,849,963
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 Schedule, Length, and Stages for the Bass Pro Shops Night Race
Race Length: 500 laps / 266.5 miles
Stages 1 & 2 Length: 125 laps (each)
Final Stage Length: 250 laps
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17
1:00 PM – 1:45 PM: AMS PRACTICE (TIMED – 45 MINUTES)
2:00 PM – 2:20 PM: AMS QUALIFYING (IMPOUND) (TIMED – 20 MINUTES)
3:00 PM – 3:50 PM: NCTS PRACTICE
4:05 PM – 5:00 PM: NCTS QUALIFYING (IMPOUND)
5:20 PM: AMS DRIVER INTRODUCTIONS (DRIVERS STANDING BY CARS)
5:30 PM: AMS RACE (200 LAPS, 106.6 MILES)
7:40 PM: NCTS DRIVER INTRODUCTIONS
8:00 PM: NCTS RACE (STAGES 65/130/250 LAPS = 133.25 MILES) ON FS1
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18
2:00 PM – 2:50 PM: NOAPS PRACTICE
3:05 PM – 4:00 PM: NOAPS QUALIFYING (IMPOUND)
4:30 PM – 5:20 PM: NCS PRACTICE (IMPOUND) (ALL ENTRIES)
5:35 PM – 6:30 PM: NCS QUALIFYING (IMPOUND)
7:00 PM: NOAPS DRIVER INTRODUCTIONS
7:30 PM: NOAPS RACE (STAGES 85/170/300 LAPS = 159.9 MILES) ON THE CW NETWORK
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19
6:50 PM: NCS DRIVER INTRODUCTIONS
7:30 PM: NCS RACE (STAGES 125/250/500 LAPS = 266.5 MILES) ON THE USA NETWORK
*All times are Eastern. NASCAR Cup Series (NCS), NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (NOAPS), NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS), ARCA Series (AMS)
Who and what should you look out for at Bristol Motor Speedway?
Denny Hamlin leads the NCS among active drivers in wins with four victories in 38 starts (2012, 2019, 2023, 2024), and this weekend, seven of the 46 race winners are entered in the event.
| Active Bristol Winners | Wins | Seasons |
|---|---|---|
| Denny Hamlin | 4 | 2024, ’23 ’19, ’12 |
| Kyle Larson | 3 | 2025, ’24, ’21 |
| Brad Keselowski | 3 | 2020, ’12, ’11 |
| Joey Logano | 2 | 2015, ’14 |
| Ty Gibbs | 1 | 2026 |
| Christopher Bell | 1 | 2025 |
| Chris Buescher | 1 | 2021 |
The race winner has started from the pole or first starting position 27 times (21.09%), making it the most productive starting position in the field. 16 different drivers have won from the pole, with the most recent driver to win from the pole or first starting position being Brad Keselowski on March 31, 2020. The deepest start by an active race winner is 20th, by Chris Buescher in 2022.
Kyle Larson leads all active NCS drivers in runner-up finishes with three, and Denny Hamlin leads all active drivers in top-five finishes with 13.
The Driver Picks for the Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway!
- Tyler Reddick has two top-fives, two top-10s, and an average finish of 17.900.
- Joey Logano has one pole, two wins, seven top-fives, 12 top-10s, and an average finish of 16.281.
- Chase Briscoe has two top-fives, four top-10s, and an average finish of 11.625.
- Chase Elliott has one pole, five top-fives, nine top-10s, and an average finish of 13.333.
- Denny Hamlin has four poles, four wins, 13 top-fives, 21 top-10s, and an average finish of 13.342.
