BRISTOL, Tenn. – Bristol Motor Speedway, known as the Last Great Coliseum, will host an intense showdown on Saturday night, featuring 16 NASCAR Cup Series drivers vying for 12 playoff spots.
Following impressive qualifying runs on Friday, Hendrick Motorsports drivers have positioned themselves favorably for the race. Alex Bowman secured the pole position in his No. 48 Ally Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 with a lap time of 15.142 seconds. He led a strong showing with all four Hendrick Motorsports drivers earning spots in the top 10 for the upcoming night race.
This marks Bowman’s first pole of the season, his first at Bristol, and the fifth of his career. “We qualified like 400th here in the spring, so I definitely studied hard and worked hard to come here and be better,” Bowman remarked. He indicated confidence in his team’s performance, stating, “Just really proud of everybody at Hendrick Motorsports. They gave me a really fast Ally (number) 48 Camaro, that’s what mattered today.”
Bowman’s teammates will line up closely behind him. Kyle Larson, in his No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, recorded a lap time of 15.183 seconds, placing him second. William Byron will start third in his No. 24 Z by HP Chevy, while Chase Elliott rounds out the group, starting 10th in his No. 9 LLumar Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.
All four Hendrick Motorsports drivers are still in the mix for the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. Bowman enters tied for third in the standings, positioned 41 points above the cutoff and needing just 19 points on Saturday night to secure his spot in the Round of 12. He has successfully advanced through the first round in all five of his prior playoff appearances.
Elliott is currently tied for sixth as he aims for his second career Cup Series championship, holding a 30-point advantage. He previously won at Bristol during the 2020 All Star Race, contributing to his title run.
Larson sits in ninth place, 26 points above the cutoff, and has a prior victory at this race in 2021, which was part of his championship-winning season. Byron is in 10th place, 25 points above the elimination threshold.
Historically, in nine of the 14 years Hendrick Motorsports has claimed championships, the team also secured victory at Bristol.
The race coverage is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. and will be broadcast on USA Network.
The starting lineup for Bristol includes:
1. Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
2. Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
3. William Byron, No. 24 Z by HP Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
4. Martin Truex Jr., No. 19
5. Chase Briscoe, No. 14
6. Christopher Bell, No. 20
7. Carson Hocevar, No. 77
8. Denny Hamlin, No. 11
9. Corey LaJoie, No. 7
10. Chase Elliott, No. 9 LLumar Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
11. Bubba Wallace, No. 23
12. Ross Chastain, No. 1
13. Ty Gibbs, No. 54
14. Ryan Preece, No. 41
15. Tyler Reddick, No. 45
16. Noah Gragson, No. 10
17. Chris Buescher, No. 17
18. Michael McDowell, No. 34
19. AJ Allmendinger, No. 16
20. Joey Logano, No. 22
21. Daniel Hemric, No. 31
22. Ryan Blaney, No. 12
23. Brad Keselowski, No. 6
24. Todd Gilliland, No. 38
25. Josh Berry, No. 4
26. Justin Haley, No. 51
27. Austin Cindric, No. 2
28. John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42
29. Kyle Busch, No. 8
30. Austin Dillon, No. 3
31. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47
32. Erik Jones, No. 43
33. Zane Smith, No. 71
34. Harrison Burton, No. 21
35. Daniel Suarez, No. 99
36. Kaz Grala, No. 15
37. Josh Bilicki, No. 66
In the practice rounds leading up to qualifying, all four Hendrick Motorsports drivers also demonstrated strong performance. Larson posted the third-fastest lap at 15.487 seconds while Byron and Elliott followed closely in fourth and fifth place, respectively.
The playoff standings moving into the weekend show Joey Logano currently advanced, while Christopher Bell and Austin Cindric are leading with significant points over others.
This weekend’s finale for the Round of 16 will take place at Bristol Motor Speedway.