Brad Keselowski is still a +650 longshot bet to win the NASCAR Cup Series championship, but he is making his presence felt in the playoffs — and threating to muscle in on the two title favorites.

With a victory last weekend at Richmond Raceway, Bad Brad punched his ticket to the second round, along with championship favorite Kevin Harvick (+175) and No. 2 NASCAR betting odds choice Denny Hamlin (+275). Keselowski has scored top-10s in four of his past five starts and now heads to Bristol Motor Speedway where he has won three times, most recently in May.

Saturday’s event on the half-mile short track gives Keselowski another chance to make the Big Two a Big Three and further shorten championship odds that stood at +800 before the playoffs. So grab some fried pickles and a Blackberry Farm Mountain Lager to peruse these best bets for Bristol’s annual night race.

Bass Pro Shops Night Race Odds & Best Bets

NASCAR odds listed are current as of publication and subject to change.

Kevin Harvick to Win, +700 (BetAmerica)

Bristol offers a rare opportunity to grab the sport’s best driver at underdog value. Why not jump on someone who has won four of the last eight races? While Bristol isn’t Harvick’s best track, he’s still won there twice (most recently in 2016) and nobody is better at finding speed off the truck. And with that potential return, he’s worth it. Get these odds at BetAmerica.

Kyle Busch top 3, +180 (FOX Bet)

Our Richmond pick didn’t reach Victory Lane, but last weekend marked another step forward for the reigning Cup series champion, who only recently is finding the speed in his No. 18 Toyota. Busch has knocked out top-10s in five of his last eight starts and nobody is better at Bristol — he leads all active drivers with eight victories, including three of the last six. Five of his finishes have been fourth or better over that same span. Bet on Rowdy at FOX Bet.

Brad Keselowski top 3, +180 (Unibet)

Only Busch has scored more points over the past four races at Bristol than Keselowski, who has finished third and first in his last two starts on the Tennessee bullring. Keselowski has also been outstanding on short tracks this season, with victories at Bristol and Richmond and a third-place run at Martinsville. It’s tempting to take Hamlin here, but his finishes in the first two playoff races haven’t inspired confidence and Keselowski has run better as of late. Wager on Keselowski at Unibet.

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Austin Dillon Top Chevrolet, +500 (DraftKings)

The Richard Childress Racing driver has come alive when it counts most, following up his runner-up finish at Darlington with a fourth-place run at Richmond last weekend. Dillon’s car has shown consistent speed since early August — even without him in it, when he sat out the Daytona road race after a positive coronavirus test — and his sixth-place result at Bristol in the spring gives his No. 3 team proven notes to work off this weekend. Grab Dillon at DraftKings.

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Clint Bowyer Top 10, -122 (Unibet)

He has never won at Bristol but Bowyer has been remarkably consistent there, finishing eighth or better in six of his last seven starts. His runner-up finish behind Keselowski in the spring remains his best result this year. We wish the value were stronger considering that Bowyer has been a non-factor much of this season, with just two single-digit finishes over his past 11 starts. His recent results at Bristol, though, speak for themselves. Bet on Bowyer at Unibet.

Ford Winning Manufacturer, +140 (DraftKings)

Keselowski’s victory last weekend at Richmond marked the second consecutive triumph for Ford, which has now claimed 16 of the 28 Cup Series events this season. A wager on the blue oval Saturday night gives bettors not just Harvick and Keselowski, but also Joey Logano (a two-time winner on the short track), Bowyer and Ryan Blaney (who has top-10s in three of his last four Bristol starts). Wager on Ford at DraftKings.

Alex Bowman Top 10, +130 (Unibet)

Bowman is enjoying his best stretch of the season, carrying four consecutive top-10s into Bristol after his ninth-place result last weekend at Richmond. Though he crashed out of the spring race on the high-banked half-mile, Bowman has finished as high as fifth at Bristol in Hendrick equipment. It’s not his best track, but he’s another driver on a nice streak. We’ll also take top-10 plus-moneyline value on a playoff participant. Take a ride with Bowman at Unibet.