Bass Pro Shops Night Race 2022 Betting Preview/Prop Pick
16 September 2022
Even the Index is having a hard time trying to handicap this unpredictable NASCAR season. For the second straight week, a non-playoff driver took the checkered flag with Bubba Wallace taking the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway after Erik Jones won at Darlington the week earlier.
This week it’s off to Bristol for the Bass Pro Shops Night Race in the elimination race for the round of 16 in the playoffs. Four drivers will have their postseason runs end on Saturday, but only Christopher Bell is safe for the round of 12.
It should be a wild weekend, but we will trust our numbers despite the unpredictable nature of the first two playoff races.
Denny Hamlin to win the 2022 Bass Pro Shops Night Race +750
Risk Free Bet Up To $1,000
DUNKEL INDEX FOR THIS EVENT
The Dunkel Index shows these top 10 drivers that could win this event. The following ten are:
1 Ryan Blaney 222.072
2 Chase Elliott 222.538
3 Bubba Wallace 223.780
4 Kevin Harvick 225.004
5 William Byron 225.468
6 Denny Hamlin 225.535
7 Martin Truex Jr. 226.421
8 Christopher Bell 226.896
9 Tyler Reddick 227.917
10 Kyle Busch 228.402
*index is subject to changes
Kyle Busch (228.402)
It’s been an interesting week for Kyle Busch, who just announced that he would be leaving Joe Gibbs Racing for Richard Childress Racing starting in 2023. Does Busch want to leave JGR a champion - if so, he needs a win at Bristol because he’s currently the first man out, sitting 13th in the playoff standings.
Busch has finished in the top five in seven of his last nine at Bristol but hasn’t won here since 2018. The pressure is somewhat off as a lame duck driver, so we’ll see how the #18 fares here.
Tyler Reddick (227.917)
Tyler Reddick was running a good race last week at Kansas until losing a rear tire on lap 42, sending him into the wall and ending his day.
Now with Busch coming over to RCR in 2023, Reddick will lose the #8 car in his lame duck season before moving to 23XI in 2024. It’s not a great time for distractions for Reddick, who is in 11th in the playoff standings.
Christopher Bell (226.896)
Christopher Bell is the only officially safe driver in the playoffs heading into the Bass Pro Shops Night Race, so it will be interesting to see how aggressive he is on Saturday night. Bell has finished 28th and 29th at this event in the last two years, so he does have something to prove in that regard.
Martin Truex, Jr. (226.421)
Martin Truex, Jr. could really throw a wrench in the Cup series by becoming the third straight non-playoff driver to win in the postseason. Sure many people agreed that Truex, Jr. was playoff worthy, but he didn’t pick up a win this season for the automatic berth and fell short on points.
Bristol has never won a Cup Series event at Bristol, even though he’s had the pole in two of his last three races here. Therefore a checkered flag on Saturday night would be very culminating.
Denny Hamlin (225.535)
There was one driver who could’ve stopped the non-playoff winner trend the last two weeks, and that’s Denny Hamlin, who was runner-up at both Darlington and Kansas.
Hamlin won this event in 2019 and won stage one while leading 65 laps before finishing ninth here in 2021. He’s running in good form and has value to finally get the win here.
Prop Pick
Top 10 Finish: Bubba Wallace (-110)
Wallace picked up his second career Cup Series victory last week at Kansas. It’s been part of a hot stretch for the No. 45 car with six Top 10 finishes in the last nine races, including a second at Michigan and third at New Hampshire.
Rated No. 3 in this week’s Dunkel Index, take Wallace (-110) to stay in the hunt this weekend at Bristol and finish in the Top 10.
Keep up with your latest NASCAR news coverage and betting pick previews at The Dunkel Index.
All Media on this page by Associated Press.
