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Kyle Larson Gains the Championship Lead After Runner-Up Finish at Bristol
Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson finished as the runner-up in Saturday Night's Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway after a strong performance. Larson started the race from the pole and led the opening 40 laps until a competition caution sent most drivers to pit road, including Larson. After falling behind in the pack since a couple of drivers stayed out during this caution, Larson spent the rest of the stage regaining positions. The No. 5 Chevrolet driver made it up to second by the end of the first stage, falling short of passing Joey Logano for the stage win. In the second stage, Larson was up-and-down, falling behind during pit stops but making up positions on track throughout the stage. By the end of the second stage, he placed ninth and gained two more stage points. In the final stage, Larson stayed inside the top 10 and slowly moved to the front as the stage progressed. The Hendrick driver chose to stay out on older tires after a lap 432 caution to keep track position and continued to battle inside the top five through the rest of the race. Larson had a chance to steal the win on lap 494 after Ty Gibbs and Carson Hocevar made contact with each other, but was unable to pass both of them without contact. Joey Logano passed Larson for the win after Larson passed Gibbs, then beat Hocevar at the checkered flag for second place. Despite missing the Bristol win, Larson's second-place run let him take the championship lead after 29 races, sitting one point ahead of Denny Hamlin.
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com
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Joey Logano Walks Away from Bristol with his Third Win of the Season
Joey Logano of Team Penske won the Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway after missing out on winning last week's race at World Wide Technology Raceway. Logano began the race from second place, but slipped back to third after being passed by William Byron in the opening laps. The No. 22 Ford driver remained in third until a competition caution on lap 40, when he stayed out of pit road while others went in and he inherited the lead. Logano went on to lead the rest of the laps in the first stage, and despite a challenge from Kyle Larson, Logano held on for the stage win. In the second stage, Logano went to pit road during the stage break and restarted the stage from just outside the top 15. The Penske driver then steadily moved through the field to make it back up to third by the end of the stage and earn eight more stage points. In the final stage, Logano remained inside the top five, outside of pit stops, through most of the stage. Logano tried to make gains to the front, but only made it as high as fourth until lap 494, when Ty Gibbs, Carson Hocevar, and Larson all started making contact with each other for the race win. This left a lane open for Logano to take advantage of with momentum, and he passed all three drivers without issue. After leading the final few laps of the race, Logano took his third victory of 2026 and moved to third in the championship standings. Through 29 races, Logano is now 16 points behind Larson for the championship title with seven races left in The Chase.
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com
Carson Hocevar Places Third After Dramatic Day at Bristol
Carson Hocevar was one of the main contenders for the win in the Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Hocevar began the race from fifth position, but did not fight for the lead during the first two stages. The No. 77 Chevrolet driver finished eighth at the end of stage one, and then placed seventh at the end of stage two. In the final stage, Hocevar made his way up to the top five and kept off of pit road until a lap 397 caution. As a result, Hocevar inherited the lead as all other drivers were a lap down except Ryan Blaney, who fell behind Hocevar after a commitment line violation penalty. Hocevar led until lap 432, when Ty Gibbs took the lead from him. Gibbs and Hocevar traded the lead back and forth several times until the end of the race, but in the process, Hocevar also bumped Blaney up the track and crashed him. On lap 494, Hocevar and Gibbs made contact, causing the two of them to fall back to Kyle Larson, who also made contact with them for the win. Joey Logano, however, got by all three drivers and went on to win, while Hocevar settled for third as he fell behind Larson. After the race, Blaney confronted Hocevar, and the two drivers got into a physical post-race altercation involving several pit crew members and each other. With 29 races completed this season, Hocevar is now ranked eighth in the regular season standings.
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com
Ty Gibbs Scores Top-Five Finish at Bristol After Strong Performance
Ty Gibbs of Joe Gibbs Racing was one of the top performers of the Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway, but ended up falling short of the win. Gibbs began the race from the 13th position, but quickly showcased plenty of speed in his car. In the first stage, he climbed from 13th to fifth and earned six stage points at the end of the stage. The second stage saw Gibbs ascend to second after heading to pit road during the stage break and restarting further back in the field. Gibbs collected nine more stage points at the end of stage two after placing second by the end of the stage. In the final stage, Gibbs continued to run behind Ryan Blaney until lap 324, when he passed Blaney during green-flag conditions. Gibbs lost the lead after heading to pit road on lap 387, but regained it from Carson Hocevar on lap 431. After several cautions and restarts, Hocevar and Gibbs made contact on lap 494, causing Gibbs to lose the lead for good after losing momentum to eventual winner Joey Logano, who passed them both for the win. Gibbs went on to finish fifth and moved to fifth in the Cup Series standings after 29 races this season.
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com
Ryan Blaney Finishes 33rd at Bristol After A Late Wreck and Confrontation
Ryan Blaney of Team Penske ended Saturday's Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway in 33rd despite being the most dominant driver of the day and leading 202 laps. Blaney began the race deep in the field from 29th, but made it to the front early on after staying out during the competition caution on lap 40. He stayed inside the top 10 through most of the first stage and finished sixth. In the second stage, Blaney took charge of the lead and dominated the entire stage, leading nearly every lap and scoring the stage victory. In the final stage, Blaney led until midway through, when Ty Gibbs passed him in green-flag conditions. Blaney regained the lead on lap 397, but he also received a penalty for a commitment line violation, causing him to lose the lead. The No. 12 Ford fell behind on track until a lap 435 caution allowed Blaney to regain track position. Blaney continued to run behind Gibbs and competed with Carson Hocevar and Kyle Larson for second. Lap 458, however, ended Blaney's race when Hocevar got into the back of Blaney's car, sending him up the track into the wall and ending his day with a 33rd-place finish. Blaney confronted Hocevar after the race, leading to a bigger physical altercation involving the two drivers and pit crew members. After 29 races this season, Blaney is now sixth in the Cup Series standings.
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com
Denny Hamlin is One of the Top Anchor Picks for Bristol DFS Lineups
Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing will start in the fourth position for this week's race at Bristol Motor Speedway, the Bass Pro Shops Night Race. In 38 Cup starts at Bristol, Hamlin has four wins, 21 top-10 finishes, and 1,202 laps led, which is the second-most of all active drivers in the field this week. With 28 races completed so far this season, Hamlin has four wins, 18 top-10 finishes, and an average finish of 8.6. Bristol is one of Hamlin's better tracks throughout his Cup career, and he has been the most consistent driver of the season. Hamlin is one of the top drivers to anchor DFS lineups this week, as he is always a threat to win at Bristol, especially with strong equipment from Joe Gibbs Racing.
Source: DriverAverages.com
Source: DriverAverages.com
Christopher Bell Is One of the Top Favorites to Win at Bristol
Christopher Bell was given a starting position of 12th for this week's Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway. In 10 Cup races at Bristol, Bell has one win, seven top-10 finishes, and an average finish of 12.4. Bell also placed in the top 10 in six of the last seven Cup races at the site. After 28 races completed this season, Bell has one win, 14 top-10 finishes, and an average finish of 14.1. The No. 20 Toyota driver is one of the best drivers in the field statistically at Bristol, especially in recent years. Bell has solid upside and strong equipment, making him an excellent DFS option for all formats and a potential contender for the win.
Source: DriverAverages.com
Source: DriverAverages.com
Chase Briscoe is A Top DFS Option for All Formats at Bristol
Joe Gibbs Racing's Chase Briscoe is starting 26th for the Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway after practice and qualifying were canceled by rain on Friday. In eight Cup races at Bristol, Briscoe has seven finishes of 14th or better, including four straight top-10 finishes going into this week's race. Through 28 races this season, Briscoe has one win, 14 top-10 finishes, and an average finish of 14.9. Bristol is one of Briscoe's better tracks statistically. With top-tier equipment and plenty of upside, fantasy managers should strongly consider him in all DFS formats.
Source: DriverAverages.com
Source: DriverAverages.com
Joey Logano May be A Top Contrarian Option for Bristol DFS Lineups
Joey Logano of Team Penske will start in second place for the Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway after practice and qualifying were canceled due to weather. In 32 Cup starts at Bristol, Logano has two wins, 12 top-10 finishes, and an average finish of 16.3. The No. 22 Ford driver also placed in the top 10 in his last two starts at the site. In 28 races this season, Logano has two wins, 11 top-10 finishes, and an average finish of 16.4. He also placed 14th or better in eight of the last nine Cup events this season. While Logano's overall history at Bristol is mixed, he has been running well in recent races. Logano's low upside based on his starting position makes him one to avoid for cash games, but he makes for a sneaky tournament option who may carry low rostership.
Source: DriverAverages.com
Source: DriverAverages.com
Should Fantasy Managers Roster William Byron at Bristol?
Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron will start in fourth for this week's race at Bristol Motor Speedway, the Bass Pro Shops Night Race. Byron was given his first top-5 starting position at Bristol since 2024 after practice and qualifying were canceled on Friday due to weather. In 14 Cup races at the Tennessee track, Byron has five top-10 finishes and an average finish of 17.1. Through 28 Cup races this year, Byron has 12 top-10 finishes and an average finish of 16.4. Fantasy players are likely to find Byron a big risk for DFS this week due to his high starting position. Given his mixed history in recent Bristol races, he is also hard to lean on in DFS lineups, especially when other drivers offer more upside.
Source: DriverAverages.com
Source: DriverAverages.com
Chase Elliott Carries Plenty of Upside for Bristol DFS Lineups
Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports was given a starting position of 27th for this week's Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway after practice and qualifying were canceled due to weather. This will be the lowest starting position of Elliott's Cup career at Bristol. In 18 starts at the site, Elliott has nine top-10 finishes and an average finish of 13.3. However, Elliott also has not placed in the top 10 in a Bristol Cup race since September 2024. In 28 Cup races completed this year, Elliott has two wins, nine top-10 finishes, and an average finish of 15.3. Elliott has struggled in recent races with only three top-15 finishes in the last seven Cup events. Despite his recent struggles, Elliott carries plenty of upside in this week's race and has some of the best equipment in the field. While he is playable in all DFS formats, he is especially recommended for cash games due to his high ceiling, where he can compete for a top-10 finish.
Source: DriverAverages.com
Source: DriverAverages.com
Could Brad Keselowski be A Top-10 Contender for Bristol?
RFK Racing's Brad Keselowski will start 11th for the Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway as a result of practice and qualifying being canceled due to rain. In 30 Cup starts at Bristol, Keselowski has three wins, 11 top-10 finishes, and is one of only three active drivers in the field this week with over 1,000 laps led. He also has an average finish of 15.6 in his Cup career at the Tennessee track. In 28 races this season, Keselowski has six top-10 finishes and an average finish of 18.5. Keselowski also placed in the top 15 in three of the last four Cup events this season. Historically, Bristol is a solid track for Keselowski, especially as he scored positive Place Differential in the last three Cup events at the site. Fantasy players can consider him to be a top-10 contender based on past history, equipment, and recent races this year.
Source: DriverAverages.com
Source: DriverAverages.com
Bubba Wallace May Compete for A Top-10 Finish at Bristol
Bubba Wallace of 23XI Racing is starting in 10th for the Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway after qualifying and practice were canceled by rain on Friday. It will be the fourth time in Wallace's career that he will start inside the top 10 in a Bristol Cup race. In 14 previous races at the site, Wallace has two top-10 finishes and an average finish of 19.6. After 28 races so far this year, Wallace has 12 top-10 finishes and an average finish of 16.1. Wallace's history at Bristol has been mixed, but he is also in some of the best equipment in the field. While he is best recommended for tournaments since his starting position does not carry much upside, he does have the capability to place inside the top 10 in this week's race.
Source: DriverAverages.com
Source: DriverAverages.com
Is Austin Cindric Worth Rostering for DFS at Bristol?
Team Penske's Austin Cindric will start eighth in the Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway after practice and qualifying were canceled due to weather. In seven prior Cup starts at Bristol, Cindric's best finish is 13th, and he has an average finish of 23.2. Through 28 races this season, Cindric has seven top-10 finishes and an average finish of 16.3. Bristol is statistically one of Cindric's worst tracks, as he has never had great results there throughout his Cup career. It is difficult to recommend Cindric for DFS overall because his high starting position offers little upside at a track where he's struggled throughout his career. Fantasy players looking to play Cindric should consider other alternative drivers in his price range or as a tournament option.
Source: DriverAverages.com
Source: DriverAverages.com
Kyle Larson Could Absolutely Dominate the Bristol Night Race
This weekend, the NASCAR Cup Series is at Bristol Motor Speedway, which means one thing: Kyle Larson is probably going to lead some laps. Over the last four races here, Larson has led a ridiculous 1,157 laps (out of a possible 2,005, equaling 57.7%), and that's even more impressive when you consider the fact that he didn't lead a single lap here in the fall race last season. In other words, Larson is averaging 385.7 laps led per race at Bristol over the last three races that he has led at here. "Impressive" doesn't even begin to describe this. Additionally, Larson is coming off of his first win of the season at Gateway, and he will start on the pole for this weekend's Bass Pro Shops Night Race. As far as DFS goes, Larson ($11.5K on DraftKings) has massive dominator upside and should be a key driver to build around with your daily fantasy lineups.
Source: Hendrick Motorsports
Source: Hendrick Motorsports
Ryan Blaney Starts Deep in the Field at Bristol
Practice and qualifying was cancelled at Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend due to weather, which means the starting lineup for the Bass Pro Shops Night Race was set by the metric. And thanks to Ryan Blaney blowing a brake rotor at Gateway last weekend, that means he will be starting 29th for this race at Bristol. Thankfully for Blaney, he's one of the best at Bristol Motor Speedway, and he has shown in the past that he can move through the field here (he started 22nd and finished sixth in the 2024 night race). Over the last four races at Bristol, Blaney has finished sixth or better each time, and nearly won from the pole here in the spring this season after leading 190 laps. With his 29th-place starting spot this weekend, Blaney is a massive Place Differential play in DFS, and if he can get to the front in the race late, he could definitely contend for the win. He's an elite daily fantasy pick for Bristol this weekend, even at his high salary of $11.2K on DraftKings.
Source: Catchfence
Source: Catchfence
Ty Gibbs is an Elite DFS Option at Bristol
Look for Ty Gibbs to be a contender at Bristol Motor Speedway in this weekend's Bass Pro Shops Night Race. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver got his first career Cup Series victory here in the spring and has finished 10th or better in four of his last five starts at this track. The exception? A 15th-place run here back in 2024. In total, Gibbs has led 465 laps in his career at this race track, which is sixth-best among active drivers despite him only having seven starts in Thunder Valley. This weekend, Gibbs will start from 13th-place for Saturday night's race, which gives him both Place Differential and race-winning upside in DFS contests. And priced at just $10.4K on the DraftKings slate, Gibbs appears to be an elite daily fantasy option this weekend.
Source: PitByNumbers
Source: PitByNumbers
Tyler Reddick Has a Shaky History at Bristol
One driver that you would think would be better at Bristol is Tyler Reddick. Over 10 career starts in Thunder Valley, Reddick has just two good finishes: a fourth-place result back in 2020, and another fourth-place finish earlier this season. All eight other finishes for Reddick at this race track are 12th or worse, with four of those eight being 20th or worse. So what should we expect this weekend in the Bass Pro Shops Night Race? Thanks to qualifying being cancelled and the starting lineup being set by the metric, Reddick will start from the back in 20th place when the race goes green, which gives him good place-differential upside if he has similar speed as this spring. His DraftKings salary of $8.5K also makes Reddick a very valuable driver in DFS lineups. The question is, will the Reddick of old show up, or will the Reddick of the spring be back with respectable speed?
Source: Driver Averages
Source: Driver Averages
Can Carson Hocevar Contend at Bristol?
It has been quite a while since we've talked about Carson Hocevar as a legitimate contender in a NASCAR Cup Series race, but the series is at Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend, so "The Hurricane" gets back into the discussion. In the first Bristol race this year, Hocevar had the third-best Total Speed Ranking in the race, although his finishing position of 10th isn't overly attractive. The spring 2025 race told a similar story, as Hocevar ranked third-fastest in total speed, but wound up finishing 11th when it was all said and done. This weekend, the No. 77 Chevrolet is set up for another strong run, as Hocevar will roll off the starting grid from fifth-place for the Bass Pro Shops Night Race. And although this limits his Place Differential upside in DFS, that opens the door for him to be a dominator at some point. At his $7.9K salary on DraftKings, Hocevar is definitely a viable option in tournament-style lineup building.
Source: ifantasyrace
Source: ifantasyrace
Kyle Larson Snaps a 51-Race Winless Streak by Winning at St. Louis
Kyle Larson won the Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway for his first race victory of the 2026 season. Larson began the race from second and ran well throughout most of the race. He went on to lead 80 laps, the second-most of all drivers in the race. Larson also scored stage points at the end of both stages by placing third at the end of stage one and winning the second stage. The No. 5 Chevrolet driver was able to win the race due to a tire advantage he had over Joey Logano in the closing laps. Logano took two tires on a late pit stop while Larson took four on the same pit stop. This difference in tires, as well as a late-race push by his teammate, Alex Bowman, allowed Larson to get his first career Cup Series win at WWTR. With the 28th race of the season completed, Larson moves to second in The Chase standings, only nine points behind leader Denny Hamlin.
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com
Alex Bowman Earns his Best Finish of the 2026 Season at St. Louis
Hendrick Motorsports driver Alex Bowman quietly had a strong run in the Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway. Bowman began the race from 11th and did not have much of a presence in the first two stages of the race. The No. 48 Chevrolet driver did climb up to eighth by the first stage and scored three stage points. In the second stage, however, he placed outside of the top 10 as he failed to earn further stage points. Bowman did receive minor damage from a multi-car accident on lap 141 started by Bubba Wallace and Chase Briscoe, but was able to continue on. He spent the rest of the race recovering positions and made it up to the top five by lap 222. Bowman soon made it up to third and played a role in helping his teammate Kyle Larson win the race. On the final restart, Bowman gave a push to Larson to have him pull ahead of Joey Logano, who Bowman passed on the final lap to finish in second. Bowman's best finish of the 2026 season so far moves him up to 27th in the Cup Series standings after 28 races.
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com
