Bristol Night Race Schedule, How to Watch, Stream, Odds for NASCAR

Bristol Night Race schedule, how to watch, stream, odds originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

It’s time for Bristol, baby.

The 2022 NASCAR playoffs have started with two shocking results, with non-playoff drivers Erik Jones and Bubba Wallace winning the first two races.

Now, it’s time for the first elimination race of the playoffs at the famed Bristol Motor Speedway – with 15 playoff drivers still battling for the final 11 spots in the Round of 12. Nicknamed “The Last Great Colosseum,” Bristol is a high-banked, half-mile short track where tempers often flare, and this race should be no different.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol:

Bristol Night Race entry list

There are 36 drivers on the entry list for Kansas. Since up to 40 cars can qualify for a race, all 36 teams will race on Saturday. Ty Gibbs remains in the field, driving the No. 23 for 23XI Racing, with veteran Kurt Busch out due to a concussion.

Here's the full list of participants:

36 entries for Cup race at Bristol. Chad Norris now listed as crew chief for Ty Dillon. pic.twitter.com/frYUk6oEpE

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) September 12, 2022

What is the Bristol Night Race schedule?

There will be a practice and qualifying session before the race at Bristol. The 36-car field will be split into two groups, and each group will get a 15-minute practice session on Friday, Sept. 16 beginning at 4:30 p.m. ET.

Qualifying begins immediately after practice, around 5:20 p.m. ET. Each car will make two laps, with the five fastest drivers in each group advancing to the final round. In the final round, the 10 drivers make two laps and the pole is awarded to the fastest driver.

The Bass Pro Shops Night Race begins at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Sept. 17.

What is the NASCAR TV schedule this weekend?

All NASCAR coverage from Bristol will be on USA Network and the NBC Sports app.

Every time the drivers hit the track – including practice, qualifying and the race – you can watch it live on USA Network and the NBC Sports app, or online here. Practice and qualifying will air at 4:30 p.m. ET on Saturday.

Pre-race coverage starts Saturday with “NASCAR Countdown to Green” at 6:30 p.m. ET on USA Network, followed by the race at 7:30 p.m. ET on the same channel.

NASCAR playoff standings 2022, clinching scenarios

Sixteen of the world’s best drivers are now competing for a championship, with an elimination-style format used to decide it all. There are three rounds with three races each before the championship race to close the season.

Bristol marks the first elimination race this year, with four drivers set to be cut from the playoffs after Saturday. The four drivers with the lowest point total will be eliminated, unless they win the race, which automatically advances you to the next round.

Here’s a look at the playoff standings before the final race in the Round of 16, with clinching scenarios listed if they have one (drivers can only make up a maximum of 59 points in a race). Drivers obviously have multiple clinching scenarios depending on how everyone else does, but the ones listed below are the scenarios within their power:

1. Christopher Bell, +58 points from 13th
   • Mathematically advanced to the Round of 12
2. William Byron, +48 points from 13th
   • Advances with a 29th-place finish at Bristol
3. Denny Hamlin, +47 points from 13th
   • Advances with a 29th-place finish at Bristol
4. Joey Logano, +40 points from 13th
   • Advances with a 21st-place finish at Bristol
5. Ryan Blaney, +36 points from 13th
   • Advances with a 17th-place finish at Bristol
6. Alex Bowman, +30 points from 13th
   • Advances with an 11th-place finish at Bristol
7. Chase Elliott, +28 points from 13th
   • Advances with a ninth-place finish at Bristol
8. Kyle Larson, +27 points from 13th
   • Advances with an eighth-place finish at Bristol
9. Ross Chastain, +26 points from 13th
   • Advances with a seventh-place finish at Bristol
10. Daniel Suarez, +6 points from 13th
    • Needs 50 points to automatically advance
11. Tyler Reddick, +2 points from 13th
    • Needs 54 points to automatically advance
12. Austin Cindric, +2 points from 13th
    • Needs 54 points to automatically advance

—

13. Kyle Busch, -2 points from 12th
    • Needs 55 points to automatically advance
14. Austin Dillon, -2 points from 12th
    • Needs 55 points to automatically advance
15. Chase Briscoe, -9 points from 12th
    • Can only automatically advance with a win or help
16. Kevin Harvick, -35 points from 12th
    • Can only automatically advance with a win or help

Which drivers have won at Bristol?

Six of the 36 drivers racing Sunday have won at Bristol: Busch, Harvick, Logano, Hamlin, Larson and Brad Keselowski.

Busch leads all active drivers with an impressive eight Bristol wins, most recently in 2019. Harvick and Keselowski each have three Bristol wins, while Logano and Hamlin have two. Larson has just one, but it came in this race last year.

Who is favored to win NASCAR this weekend?

The Bristol Night Race is one of NASCAR’s premier events, so it makes sense that champions often prevail. Eleven of the last 13 night races were won by a past champion, with Hamlin – widely considered to be one of the best drivers to never win a title – as the only exception.

But when looking at the best average finishers at Bristol, it’s a non-champion – and non-playoff driver – that stands out. Erik Jones, who won at Darlington two weeks ago, leads all drivers with a 12.4 average finish in nine Bristol starts.

Busch (13.0 average finish in 32 starts), Harvick (13.2 in 41 starts), Elliott (13.3 in 11 starts) and Larson (13.4 in 13 starts) are some of the other usual contenders at Bristol. Busch leads all drivers with 2,592 career laps led at Thunder Valley.

As aforementioned, Larson won the Bristol Night Race last year after Elliott and Harvick made contact in the final laps. There were fireworks post race between those two, while Larson celebrated yet another victory.

Here are some of the odds to win at Bristol, courtesy of our partner, PointsBet:

• Denny Hamlin, +675
• Kyle Busch, +700
• Chase Elliott, +750
• Kyle Larson, +800
• Kevin Harvick, +900
• Christopher Bell, +900
• Tyler Reddick, +1200
• Ryan Blaney, +1400
• Joey Logano, +1500
• William Byron, +1600
• Ross Chastain, +1600
• Martin Truex Jr., +1600
• Bubba Wallace, +2500
• Alex Bowman, +3000
• Erik Jones, +4000
• Brad Keselowski, +10000

Editor's note: All odds are provided by our partner, PointsBet. PointsBet is our Official Sports Betting Partner and we may receive compensation if you place a bet on PointsBet for the first time after clicking our links.