Fantasy NASCAR DFS Picks on DraftKings for the Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol

"The Chase" rolls on Saturday, but this one feels a little bit different.

A fan-favorite race for decade, the night race at Bristol is a full-contact, action-packed few hours with cars running around what is ostensibly a mixing bowl. This high-banked, 0.5-mile oval sees laps click off around 16 seconds at a time.

In DFS, this is a 500-lap race has gobs and gobs of laps led points available, and we're going to need them. The top lap-leader in the last five Bristol night races has averaged 238.8 laps led out front. If that car finishes the race, it's going to be optimal. Plus, it's not easy to pass, so pass differential is a risky target for cars starting toward the rear that are in danger of being lapped.

The green flag for Saturday's race is expected at 7:40 p.m. EST on USA Network.

Every week, DraftKings Daily Fantasy has NASCAR contests for all three of the top touring series. Here are my favorite picks for Saturday's Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee.

Bristol Night Race DraftKings NASCAR DFS Studs to Target

Kyle Larson ($11,500)

Friday's on-track activities were washed out, which is amazing news for Kyle Larson.

After his first win of the season last week in St. Louis, Larson starts from the pole and benefits from the best pit stall for service in a long race with plenty of pit stops.

It also prohibits other teams from catching up to what has been elite speed at this venue. Larson was tied for the best median lap in the April event here, and he led 284 laps. He led 462 of 500 laps in a dominant 2024 August win at Bristol, as well.

DOMINATED. Kyle Larson puts on a clinic to WIN at Bristol Motor Speedway! #NASCARonFS1 pic.twitter.com/KrWoxD1Sc3
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) April 13, 2025

Larson is undoubtedly the man to beat, but there are other strong contenders to justify a fade in some tournament lineups.

Ty Gibbs ($10,400)

Of late, Bristol has been Ty Gibbs' playground.

Gibbs led a race-high 201 laps before fading to 10th place in this race a year ago, but he got his revenge in April. He won his first career race at this venue, sneaking past Larson and Ryan Blaney on pit strategy.

My blended rankings aren't great this week with so few similar tracks to Bristol on the schedule, but Gibbs has a median lap of 9th or better at all four venues. He's been fast at every short track on the schedule.

Oh, and as we still mourn the loss of former champion Kyle Busch earlier this year, Gibbs' paint scheme on Saturday night is pretty special:

Ty Gibbs and Joe Gibbs Racing will honor Kyle Busch with a special M&M’s paint scheme at Bristol. pic.twitter.com/LLzbIRdsL0
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) August 13, 2026

Bristol Night Race DraftKings NASCAR DFS Mid Tier Picks

Chase Briscoe ($9,900)

Last week's race in St. Louis was crazy. 8 different playoff drivers ran into issues and finished outside the top 15. Several are buried deep in the field with no qualifying on Friday, including Chase Briscoe.

Dirt racers -- like Blaney and Larson -- typically run well at this track where you have to search for speed. Briscoe is no different, posting four straight finishes of 9th or better at Bristol.

The Indiana driver had the third-best median lap here in the spring. I don't want him to be an afterthought with Larson, Blaney, and Gibbs demanding so much attention.

Chris Buescher ($8,300)

If you've rostered Chris Buescher in daily fantasy lately, it hasn't been a good time.

My stuff has also highlighted Buescher as a good play, who carried a ton of speed at similar tracks earlier this year. A combination of luck and reduced pace have led to a nightmarish run through the summer; Buescher has finished no better than 18th in the last five races.

There aren't many better places for him to turn it around. He's got a 12.3 average finish at Bristol since the start of 2023, which doesn't include a 2022 win in this same Next Gen car.

Bristol Night Race DraftKings NASCAR DFS Budget Plays

Josh Berry ($6,900)

Final results don't show how good short track specialist Josh Berry has been at Bristol.

He does have two 12th-place finishes in five starts here, but consecutive races with incidents have bumped his average finish to an ugly 24.8 at Bristol since the start of 2023.

But, we know he's faster than that. He earned stage points in both stages in April with the 16th-best median lap -- and that was before this summer speed binge where he's scored a top 10 in six of the last seven races.

Berry starts 32nd, so there is mammoth place-differential upside if he can avoid getting lapped.

Zane Smith ($5,700)

I'll be punting quite a bit in tournaments with the desire to access Larson, Blaney, Gibbs, and Briscoe. Zane Smith is my top choice.

Like Buescher, Smith is slumping with a ton of crashes and bad luck. He's finished 25th or worse in four of the last five races. This could be the right spot to turn it around, though.

Smith finished 19th here in April, and last fall was an insane performance where he finished 3rd and scored points in both stages. Equipment is less important here, but he'll have to find a way to access track position.

Rolling off 35th, he's in the danger zone of getting lapped, but an early caution could help a fast driver, who is a horse for the course, make up some ground.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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