Hendrick Motorsports is supposed to be NASCAR’s untouchable titan, but the 2025 playoffs have been a gut punch. The Southern 500 at Darlington was a disaster. None of their big four, Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, William Byron, or Alex Bowman, cracked the top 10, with Larson in 19th, Elliott 17th, Byron 21st, and Bowman a dismal 31st.

Gateway’s Enjoy Illinois 300 offered a flicker of hope. Elliott snagged a podium with third, Byron landed 11th, and Larson hung on for 12th, but the team still faded late, leaving Rick Hendrick’s squad looking mortal.

With Bristol’s Race looming as the Round of 16 cutoff, the pressure’s on. Enter Kyle Larson, Hendrick’s ace in the hole. Fresh off a dominant April 2025 Bristol win where he led 411 of 500 laps and a playoff-clinching victory last fall, Larson’s the guy who could pull Hendrick out of this slump and spare them another postseason embarrassment.

The Bristol night race is a high-stakes showdown, and Larson’s track record of three wins, including two straight at the half-mile coliseum, makes him the betting favorite. With a softer tire compound shaking things up and chaos always a heartbeat away, can Larson deliver the goods and keep Hendrick’s championship dreams alive?

Schedule for Bass Pro Shops Night Race

Bristol Motor Speedway’s weekend is a three-day racing feast, and the 2025 Bass Pro Shops Night Race is the main course. Kicking off Thursday, September 11, the ARCA Menards Series hits the track with practice and qualifying at 1 p.m. ET, followed by the Craftsman Truck Series practice and qualifying at 3:05 p.m. on FS2.

The ARCA 200 fires off at 5:39 p.m. ET on FS1, and the Truck Series UNOH 200, with stages of 65-65-120 laps and three tire sets, closes the night at 8:20 p.m. ET on FS1. Friday, September 12, brings Xfinity action with practice and qualifying at 2 p.m. ET on the CW App, followed by Cup Series practice at 4:30 p.m. ET and qualifying at 5:40 p.m. on TruTV.

The Xfinity Food City 300, with stages of 85-85-130 laps and four tire sets, wraps up at 7:40 p.m. on CW. Saturday’s the big show. Cup Series prerace at 7 p.m. ET on USA, with the 500-lap Bass Pro Shops Night Race (125-125-250 stages, 10 tire sets) starting at 7:35 p.m. ET Weather looks solid: 70s during the day, 60s at night, with just a 5% chance of rain. Bristol’s high banks are ready to rumble, and Larson’s itching to shine.

Larson leads the odds and Hendrick’s hopes

The betting world’s got Kyle Larson pegged as the man to beat at Bristol, and it’s no surprise why. Caesar’s Sportsbook lists him as the odds-on favorite at +250, a nod to his unreal track record of three Bristol wins, including a 411-lap clinic in April 2025 and a playoff stunner last fall. Denny Hamlin’s hot on his heels at +425, fresh off his Gateway win and four Bristol victories of his own.

Ryan Blaney (+650), Christopher Bell (+800), and Chase Briscoe (+900) round out the top five, with Hendrick’s Chase Elliott at +1200 and William Byron at +1400. Alex Bowman’s a longshot at +2000, tied with Ty Gibbs, while Bubba Wallace (+2500) and Brad Keselowski (+2800) lurk as dark horses. Further down, playoff contenders like Ross Chastain (+3000), Tyler Reddick (+3300), and Austin Dillon (+5000) face steep climbs, with non-playoff drivers like Kyle Busch (+3500) and Shane van Gisbergen (+20000) ready to play spoiler.

Larson’s sitting pretty, 60 points above the Round of 12 cutline after Gateway, but his P12 finish there, marred by a spin that took out Ryan Blaney, showed he’s not invincible. Still, Bristol’s his playground, with 946 laps led in his last five starts and a 2021 playoff win that fueled his championship run. Elliott’s in decent shape at +28 points, and Byron’s at +39, but Bowman’s teetering at -35, needing a miracle to avoid elimination.

Bristol’s new softer Goodyear tire could shake up strategies, and with chaos-prone racing on the high banks, Larson’s dominance might be Hendrick’s best shot to dodge another playoff letdown. A win here could reset the narrative, put Hendrick back on top, and give Rick Hendrick a reason to grin instead of grimace as the postseason rolls on.