How to watch the 2025 NASCAR playoff elimination race at Bristol
How to watch the 2025 NASCAR playoff elimination race at Bristol
Catch all the action from practice to race day — here’s your full weekend viewing guide.
The 2025 Bass Pro Shops Night Race takes the green flag Saturday, Sept. 13 at 7:30 p.m. ET on USA Network, and it’s not just another Saturday night short-track showdown… it’s an elimination race. The NASCAR Playoffs Round of 16 wraps up at Bristol, where four drivers will be knocked out by the end of the night. That’s got guys like Austin Dillon and Alex Bowman in full desperation mode, needing a win to stay alive. And while Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe are already locked in, eyes are on Christopher Bell, who’s got the stats — and the fire — to shake things up. Bristol’s a beast of a track: half a mile of chaos, concrete, and high-banked corners that invite drama every lap. You can stream all the action, including Friday’s practice and qualifying on truTV with a 50% off a subscription to Sling TV.
How to watch 2025 NASCAR Bass Pro Shops Night Race
- When: Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025 at 7:30 p.m. ET
- TV: Race on USA Network, qualifying on TruTV
- Stream: Watch with a subscription to Sling TV.
- From anywhere: Watch with a subscription to a VPN.
Everything you need to know about the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops Night Race
What is the broadcast schedule for the 2025 NASCAR Bass Pro Shops Night Race?
| Date | Time (ET) | Event | Platform |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, Sept. 13 | 7:30 p.m. | Bass Pro Shops Night Race | USA Network |
Why we like Sling TV for watching NASCAR Bass Pro Shops Night Race
If you’re bouncing between NASCAR, F1, packed summer concert schedules — and now the return of college football and the NFL — Sling makes it easy to catch everything without blowing your budget. It’s one of the cheapest ways to stream live TV and still get access to all the big-name broadcast and cable channels that seem to split up every major event.
Normally it runs $46 per month, but right now you can score 50% off your first month, dropping it to just $23. Whether you pick Sling Orange, Sling Blue, or combine the two, it’s still a solid deal. The combo plan is usually $61/month, but with the discount, your first month is only $30.50 — way less than most live TV streaming platforms. Just need it for one big weekend? You can also grab a Sling TV day, week, or weekend pass to stream what you want without signing up long-term.
Sling TV
Sling TV is The Streamable’s choice for cord-cutters on a budget. Sling is a live TV streaming service with multiple channel packages. The $45.99/month Sling Orange plan offers about 30 channels, including Disney Channel and ESPN. The $45.99/month Sling Blue plan offers about 40 channels, including ABC, Fox, and NBC in major markets.
You can combine Orange+Blue for a total of $60.99 / month. Sling also offers many channel add-on packages starting at $6/month.
Can you watch the NASCAR Bass Pro Shops Night Race for free?
If you’re just looking to catch the Bass Pro Shops Night Race and don’t want to commit to a full live TV plan, a few streamers offer free trials — though the details can get a little murky. DIRECTV STREAM, Hulu + Live TV, Fubo, and YouTube TV all let you try before you buy, but not all trials are created equal.
The most reliable option? DIRECTV STREAM. You’ll get a solid five-day free trial, no surprises. Hulu typically gives new users three days, which is still enough time to catch the race without paying.
Fubo’s a bit trickier. As The Streamable’s David Satin points out, it’s hard to know exactly how long your trial will last even while you’re signing up. Sometimes it’s one day, sometimes seven.
YouTube TV’s the same deal. They’ll say “up to two weeks,” but plenty of folks only get two days — which makes planning a bit of a gamble.
Bottom line: if you want the easiest, no-headache way to stream Saturday’s race for free, DIRECTV STREAM is your best bet with its guaranteed five-day trial.
| DIRECTV | Fubo | Hulu | Philo | Sling TV | YouTube TV | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Trial | Free Trial | Free 3-Day Trial | Free Trial | Save with Sling | Free Trial | |||||
| $20.99 | $9.99 | $28.99 | $25 | $19.99 | $29.99 | $45.99 | $45.99 | $64.99 | ||
| truTV | + $24 | - | + $61 | - | - | - | + $6 | ✓ | ✓ | |
| USA Network | + $24 | - | + $61 | - | - | - | - | ✓ | ✓ | |
Watch highlights from last week’s NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race:
About 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops Night Race
This Saturday’s race at Bristol isn’t just another short-track slugfest — it’s the final showdown of the Round of 16, and four playoff drivers will be sent packing by the end of the night. With 500 laps on the high-banked half-mile, there’s no room to hide and no time to play it safe. Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin have dominated here in recent years, but Christopher Bell might be the one to watch — he’s led laps in each of his last five Bristol starts and has a knack for delivering in elimination races. Meanwhile, drivers like Austin Dillon, Alex Bowman, and Josh Berry are in must-win territory and will need to swing big if they want to keep their championship hopes alive. Add in Bristol’s chaotic nature and the bump-and-run potential, and this one’s set up to be a classic.
How to watch the 2025 NASCAR Bass Pro Shops Night Race from anywhere
If you’ll be away from home and can’t watch the 2025 NASCAR Bass Pro Shops Night Race as you normally would, you can still catch all of the action no matter where you are in the world with a VPN. A VPN can be used on your phone, tablet, or computer and make you appear to be back home — even when you’re not — making sure you feel at home no matter where you are. A VPN is a safe and secure way to stay protected online while streaming your favorite sports, movies, and shows on the go. Keep in mind that you will still need to be subscribed to Sling TV in order to stream the race with a VPN.
NordVPN is one of the best providers around, at one of the best prices. I use it every single day to surf the web. Currently, you can get two full years of protection for just $3.59 per month — plus you’ll get three extra months FREE. A high-speed VPN with best-in-class security that can be used on up to 10 devices at once — what more could you ask for? Simply sign up, install the software on your device of choice, and start streaming just as you would back home. It couldn’t be easier!
While NordVPN is our recommendation for the best VPN to use while you are traveling (and my preferred option), there are a number of other high-quality options available depending on what you are looking for.
- Best Features: ExpressVPN | Starting at $5 per month
- Best Budget Option: Surfshark | Starting at $2.50 per month
- Best Free Option: Proton VPN | Free plan available