Written by @joejets19

Join the LineStar NASCAR Chat for info from experts.

Download the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race Cheatsheet

NASCAR Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race🏁

There are very few things better than a Saturday night short track race when it comes to the NASCAR season. The playoffs are approaching and drivers are starting to feel the pressure, which should make for some good rubbing and racing as NASCAR travels to Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee for the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race. Bristol is 0.533 mile steeply banked concrete oval and is the only track in the circuit with two pit roads. There will be an inspection at 2pm Saturday so the field is not set until then, as always follow along in the chat as well as twitter for any breaking news and updates.

Last race’s winning lineups:

Perfect Lineup: Austin Dillon, Suarez, Truex Jr, Preece, Larson, Hamlin 360.75 DK pts.

$20K Happy Hour: Austin Dillon, Hamlin, Harvick, Hemric, Larson, Preece 342.00 DK pts. Min cash: 262.25 DK pts.

$100K Chrome Horn: Austin Dillon, Suarez, Truex Jr, Preece, Larson, Hamlin 360.75 DK pts.  Min cash: 263.00 DK pts.

$222K First Gear: Buescher, Austin Dillon, Hamlin, Larson, Preece, Truex Jr. 356.75 DK pts. Min cash: 264.75 DK pts.

On to Bristol!

Scoring Breakdown

At this point, we know how the DK scoring system works, so let's see how many points are available this week:

Laps Led Points = 0.25 points per lap led. This week, 500 laps will be run and 125 points will be awarded (plus any overtime laps).

Place Differential Points = 1 point per position gained or -1 point per position lost.

Fastest Lap Points = 0.5 points per lap not run under caution (roughly 420 laps should run under the green flag for a total of 210 possible points).

Finishing Position Points: The 40th place driver receives 4 points, and for each position gained, another point is awarded (39th=5, 38th=6…) and the winner gets 46 points.

Lineup Construction 🏗️

***This is an impound race so the lineup will not be official until inspection is complete Saturday afternoon. Inspection starts at 2 pm and I will try to update everyone via chat and Twitter about how things are progressing. Make sure to follow along and help each-other out. If a driver fails inspection, their qualifying time will be disallowed and they will be moved to the rear of the field for real life and DFS purposes (they will be scored from the rear of the field). This newsletter is based off of the unofficial starting lineup and the driver recommendations are subject to change as inspection progresses. As always, I will be in chat to answer any questions and provide any updates.***

Saturday night's race will consist of 500 laps and there will be more than enough opportunities for drivers to get up front and lead a ton of laps. Six of the last seven perfect lineups have had at least two drivers that led more than 100 laps and there have been races here that had four drivers lead at least 95 laps. There is no specific starting range that we can zero into for a higher percentage of lap leaders but a driver in the top 3 has been one of the top lap leaders in each of the last 7 races. The key will be finding the other driver(s).

It will not be hard for drivers to make big moves, each of the last seven perfect lineups have had at least two drivers pick up 9 or more spots by the end of the race. Two perfect lineups in the same time frame only had one driver starting in the top 17, so don't be afraid to back load lineups, especially if all hell breaks loose during inspection.

Bargain drivers are back in play this weekend, each of the last seven perfect lineups have had exactly one driver that cost less than $6000 in them. These drivers are not expected to do much but should be able to pick up a couple of spots and free up some salary for the heavy hitters.

On a side note, I have tried my hand at producing a finishing position model that I will include in my cheatsheet this week. This is my own personal projection and in no way affects the LineStar Projections, just an idea of where I think a specific driver can finish. If you like it let me know, if not...well you can let me know that too.

The stage breakdown is as follows: Stage 1: 125 laps, Stage 2: 125 laps, Stage 3: 250 laps

Lineup Foundation Targets

Michigan Review:

• Austin Dillon (56.00 DK pts): Dillon was megachalk and didn't disappoint moving all the way up to 13th and adding two fastest laps. He was in the perfect lineup and every winning lineup.

• Daniel Hemric (30.50 DK pts): Hemric turned in a solid performance but was crippled by a late pit penalty. He was also very chalky but pretty much had a floor race. He was still able to sneak into one winning lineup.

Bristol Picks:

Jimmie Johnson ($7,000 DK, $8,800 FD)

We got a gift from the NASCAR gods early this week with Johnson qualifying 30th. Bristol is one of his best tracks, where he has one win and an average finish of 6.8 in the last 5 races here. He has finished in the top 11 in each of the last six races at Bristol and has picked up more than ten places in 4/6. He will be very popular, but he's as close to a cash game lock as you can get because of his high ceiling due to place differential alone. He's a fantastic play for the price.

Kyle Busch ($12,700 DK, $15,500 FD)

Believe it or not, Kyle Busch is actually starting one spot behind Jimmie Johnson Saturday night but this one is not nearly as much of a gift. Busch has won three of the last four races here and led more than 100 laps in four of the last eight. He has also finished worse than 20th in four of the last including three accidents, so he is not entirely a home run. When factoring in his price, he will need to lead a few laps to be in the perfect lineup even if he finished in the top 5, which makes him a better cash play than gpp. His practice times would be worrisome for most other drivers but he always seems to find his way up front.

Tournament Targets

Michigan Review:

• Kevin Harvick (65.50 DK pts): Harvick battled a flat and loose wheel to win the race but he didn't lead enough laps to make the perfect lineup.

• Kurt Busch (15.50 DK pts): Kurt Busch was in the top 10 until he ran out of gas on the last lap and broke my heart.

• Kyle Larson (57.00 DK pts): My Larson top 5 came to fruition as he finished 3rd and added 4 fastest laps on his way to the perfect lineup.

Bristol Picks:

Denny Hamlin ($10,700 DK , $13,000 FD)

Hamlin is starting on the pole (for the time being) and is my first candidate to lead 100 laps. He will have to hold off Larson but I believe he will due to choice of starting lane, and I believe Hamlin can keep Larson because he had a much better 5,10,15 and 20 lap average in second practice. He is no stranger to the front of the field, with four top 5 finishes in the last eight races here and as long as he hold on to a top 10 he should be able to make perfect lineup.

Ryan Blaney ($8,600 DK , $11,000 FD)

I love Blaney as a Joey Logano pivot for Saturday night. Logano looks to be incredibly fast over the very long run but Blaney has his in the single lap and 5/10/15 lap averages. Blaney has three top 10 finishes in the last four races here and has also led more than 100 laps three times in that span. As long as he can finish the race safely, he offers some great savings and a similar ceiling to drivers like Hamlin/Logano/Harvick.

Matt DiBenedetto ($6,700 DK , $7,000 FD)

This is a borderline insane risky pick but there is only one more week left to qualify for the FRWC and this is the type of play that can make the difference. DiBenedetto announced on Friday morning that he is racing for a contract and will be gunning for Leavine Family's first win. He starts 7th and posted top 5 single lap and 5/10/15 lap averages. A couple of things would have to break right but there have been perfect lineups with drivers that started and finished in the top 10 but didn't pick up too many spots or lead laps, and DiBenedetto could play that role this weekend.

Bargain Bin

Michigan Review

• Ryan Preese ($5900) broke the fade by finishing 7th and posting a massive 59 points.

Bristol Pick

Landon Cassill ($5,200 DK, $3,000 FD)

I promised myself I would not write up Cassill again this season but this is the one track he was not completely embarrassing at this season. There will be a ton of cars with trouble this weekend and Cassill has a nice record of staying clean here. He has picked up spots in each of the last 3 races here and even has a 20th place finish to his name.

Other Drivers To Consider

Michigan Review

• Erik Jones (24.00 DK pts)

• Chris Buescher (41.00 DK)

• Ryan Newman (40.5 DK pts)

Here are 3 more drivers I like at Bristol that have a chance to make some noise, in no particular order:

Clint Bowyer ($8,200 DK, $10,000 FD)

Paul Menard ($6,200 DK, $7,300 FD)

Chris Buescher ($7,400 DK, $7,200 FD)

Top Driver to Avoid

Michigan Review

• Kyle Busch (58.75 DK pts): Busch lucked into a top 10 after everyone in front of him ran out of gas but he was running in the 10-15 range most of the race.

Bristol Pick

Aric Almirola ($7,800 DK, $9,600 FD)

Almirola is starting 5th but only has one finish better than 14th in the last seven races here. His single lap time in second practice was nice but his lap averages were outside the top 10. He would have to at least hold his spot to hit value but if he runs into any sort of trouble he will torpedo any lineup.

Thanks for reading and good luck this weekend! Be sure to join me in the LineStar NASCAR chat!

Be sure to download the Bass Pro Shops NRS Night Race CheatSheet and find me on Twitter. Good Luck!