NASCAR at Bristol picks, odds: Martin Truex Jr. racing for fifth win, regular-season title
Truex's Furniture Row Racing teammate Erik Jones will lead to field to green on Saturday night.
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3 min read
Who will own the night at Bristol Motor Speedway? Here are our picks for Saturday's race under the lights in Tennessee.
Winner: Martin Truex Jr.
Seems like the cliche choice to pick the guy who has dominated this season, but we like to get these things right. Truex nearly won last week's race at Michigan, only to be passed by Kyle Larson on an overtime restart, and has shown he can win just about anywhere from road courses to fast tracks. Now it's time for Truex to show he can win in prime time at Bristol. With a win, the No. 78 would automatically clinch the regular season title and go into the playoffs with a ridiculous lead.
Contenders: Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch
These two Joe Gibbs Racing drivers have combined for six wins in the Cup Series at Bristol and both have strong momentum going into the race. Hamlin ran the fastest in first practice followed by Busch, who won the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race on Wednesday night as well as the Xfinity Series race on Friday. The No. 11 is set to start the race in the top 10 while Busch will already have two practice races under his belt before the green flag flies.
Wild Card: Erik Jones
It was tough to choose with former winner Matt Kenseth qualifying in the top five but our pick is Jones. The No. 77 nearly edged out Furniture Row Racing teammate Truex last week and has all the momentum in the world as he pursues his first career playoff clinching victory. If Jones were to win, he would knock one of Kenseth, Chase Elliott or Jamie McMurray out of the playoffs depending on how they perform in the race. Jones is currently 16th in the regular season standings, so a win wouldn't be as unexpected as Kahne's Brickyard 400 triumph.
Odds to win the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race qualifying results
Here are the betting odds for Saturday's race, via VegasInsider.com
- Kyle Busch 9/2
- Martin Truex Jr. 5/1
- Kyle Larson 6/1
- Matt Kenseth 9/1
- Brad Keselowski 19/2
- Kevin Harvick 12/1
- Joey Logano 12/1
- Denny Hamlin 12/1
- Chase Elliott 16/1
- Jimmie Johnson 16/1
- Clint Bowyer 22/1
- Erik Jones 22/1
- Ryan Blaney 22/1
- Jamie McMurray 33/1
- Kurt Busch 33/1
- Dale Earnhardt Jr. 40/1
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 50/1
- Daniel Suares 66/1
- Kasey Kahne 80/1
- Ryan Newman 80/1
- Austin Dillon 80/1
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race qualifying results
- Erik Jones
- Kyle Larson
- Chase Elliott
- Matt Kenseth
- Martin Truex Jr.
- Denny Hamlin
- Joey Logano
- Clint Bowyer
- Ryan Blaney
- Jamie McMurray
- Daniel Suarez
- Ryan Newman
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
- Chris Buescher
- Austin Dillon
- Brad Keselowski
- Kyle Busch
- David Ragan
- Trevor Bayne
- Jimmie Johnson
- Ty Dillon
- AJ Allmendinger
- Danica Patrick
- Kurt Busch
- Michael McDowell
- Paul Menard
- Aric Almirola
- Kevin Harvick
- JJ Yeley
- Dale Earnhardt Jr.
- Cole Whitt
- Landon Cassill
- Matt DiBenedetto
- Corey LaJoie
- BJ McLeod
- Gray Gaulding
- Jeffrey Earnhardt
- Reed Sorenson
- Joey Gase
- Timmy Hill
- Kasey Kahne (qualified third, made tire change)
BOLD - Denotes previous winners at Bristol Motor Speedway
2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoff points
POSITION | DRIVER | CAR # | PLAYOFF POINTS | STAGE WINS | RACE WINS |
1. | Martin Truex Jr. | 78 | 35 | 15 | 4 |
2. | Kyle Larson | 42 | 18 | 3 | 3 |
3. | Jimmie Johnson | 48 | 16 | 1 | 3 |
4. | Kyle Busch | 18 | 14 | 9 | 1 |
5. | Brad Keselowski | 2 | 14 | 4 | 2 |
6. | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 17 | 10 | 0 | 2 |
7. | Ryan Blaney | 21 | 8 | 3 | 1 |
8. | Kevin Harvick | 4 | 8 | 3 | 1 |
9. | Denny Hamlin | 11 | 7 | 2 | 1 |
10. | Kurt Busch | 41 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
11. | Ryan Newman | 31 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
12. | Austin Dillon | 3 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
13. | Kasey Kahne | 5 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
14. | Chase Elliott | 24 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
15. | Matt Kenseth | 20 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
16. | Clint Bowyer | 14 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
17. | Daniel Suarez | 19 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
18. | Joey Logano | 22 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series regular-season standings
POSITION | DRIVER | CAR # | POINTS | BEHIND | WINS |
1. | Martin Truex Jr. | 78 | 933 | LEADER | 4 |
2. | Kyle Larson | 42 | 804 | 129 | 3 |
3. | Kyle Busch | 18 | 797 | 136 | 1 |
4. | Kevin Harvick | 4 | 787 | 146 | 1 |
5. | Brad Keselowski | 2 | 720 | 213 | 2 |
6. | Denny Hamlin | 11 | 710 | 223 | 1 |
7. | Chase Elliott | 24 | 685 | 248 | 0 |
8. | Jamie McMurray | 1 | 675 | 258 | 0 |
9. | Matt Kenseth | 20 | 654 | 279 | 0 |
10. | Clint Bowyer | 14 | 623 | 310 | 0 |
11. | Jimmie Johnson | 48 | 592 | 341 | 3 |
12. | Ryan Blaney | 21 | 592 | 341 | 1 |
13. | Joey Logano | 22 | 556 | 377 | 1 |
14. | Kurt Busch | 41 | 554 | 379 | 1 |
15. | Ryan Newman | 31 | 536 | 397 | 1 |
16. | Erik Jones | 77 | 524 | 409 | 0 |
Winless drivers who have won at upcoming tracks
Bristol: Kenseth, Earnhardt Jr., Logano (encumbered)
Darlington: Kenseth
Richmond: Kenseth, Bowyer, Earnhardt Jr., Logano (encumbered)
How to watch the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race
Location: Bristol Motor Speedway
Date: Saturday, Aug. 19
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Length: 500 laps/266.5 miles
Stage 1: Ends on lap 125
Stage 2: Ends on lap 250
Final stage: Scheduled for lap 500
TV: NBC
Live stream: NBC Sports App
