NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops Night Race: AJ Allmendinger Earns Long-Awaited Pole Position At Bristol Motor Speedway

Nearly a decade removed from his last NASCAR Cup Series pole position, driver AJ Allmendinger told TNT Sports he “closed his eyes” as Denny Hamlin completed his two qualifying laps Friday night at Bristol Motor Speedway. 

When Allmendinger opened his eyes, the reality set in. The No. 16 Chevrolet team will start Saturday’s Bass Pro Shops Night Race on the inside of the front row.  

He couldn’t believe it. 

After posting a hot qualifying lap of 15.117 mph, Allmendinger edged runner-up Ryan Blaney by 0.003 seconds. Allmendinger’s previous Cup pole was developed at Watkins Glen in 2015, a span of 225 outings. 

“Every old dog has his day, or something like that,” Allmendinger joked. “To get a pole at Bristol? That’s pretty awesome.” 

A non-playoff driver, Allmendinger enters the weekend ranked No. 21 in the drivers’ standings. Allmendinger is not overlooking the significance of Friday’s qualifying run for Kaulig Racing. 

“This Cup series is tough, especially when you’re a smaller team trying to grow,” Allmendinger said. “Little victories like this means a lot to us.” 

Allmendinger placed P9 during the spring race at the 0.533-mile high-banked oval. 

After claiming two poles in row at Bristol, Alex Bowman needed a strong qualifying run. He’ll start P15. With a virtually all-new pit crew, the No. 48 Chevrolet team enters the Round of 16 finale 35 points below the cutoff line. 

Justin Haley and Ryan Blaney paced the practice field, clocking laps of 15.307 seconds. Carson Hocevar was 0.002 seconds behind. 

Can Kyle Larson Continue Bristol Mastery?  

Eighty-seven.

That’s the percentage of laps NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Larson has led during his past two outings at Bristol. When the circuit made its regular-season stop at the 0.533-mile oval, the 2021 circuit champion led 411 of 500 laps. During the 2024 postseason start, he led 462 of 500 laps. With 1,762 laps led, Larson has paced the field at Bristol more than any other venue.  

Only four previous Cup drives have earned three consecutive trips to Victory Lane at Bristol.   

“The atmosphere is always up for the (Bristol) Night Race,” Larson said via press release. “The night race just means more to me. It’s not considered a crown jewel, but in my mind, it’s the one I want to win really badly every year.”  

NASCAR Cup Series’ Bass Pro Shops Night Race Lineup

Here is a look at the lineup for Saturday night’s NASCAR Cup Series’ Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway:

Starting Position, Driver, Car No.

• 1, AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Chevrolet
• 2, Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Ford
• 3, Austin Cindric, No. 2 Ford
• 4, Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Toyota
• 5, Kyle Larson, No. 5 Chevrolet
• 6, Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Toyota
• 7, William Byron, No. 24 Chevrolet
• 8, Bubba Wallace, No. 23 Toyota
• 9, Christopher Bell, No. 20 Toyota
• 10, Josh Berry, No. 21 Ford
• 11, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Chevrolet
• 12, Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Chevrolet
• 13, Ross Chastain, No. 1 Chevrolet
• 14, Tyler Reddick, No. 45 Toyota
• 15, Alex Bowman, No. 48 Chevrolet
• 16, Chase Elliott, No. 9 Chevrolet
• 17, Justin Haley, No. 7 Chevrolet
• 18, Brad Keselowski, No. 6 Ford
• 19, John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Toyota
• 20, Ryan Preece, No. 60 Ford
• 21, Chris Buescher, No. 17 Ford
• 22, Joey Logano, No. 22 Ford
• 23, Austin Dillon, No. 3 Chevrolet
• 24, Zane Smith, No. 38 Ford
• 25, Michael McDowell, No. 71 Chevrolet
• 26, Cole Custer, No. 41 Ford
• 27, Erik Jones, No. 43 Toyota
• 28, Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88 Chevrolet
• 29, Riley Herbst, No. 35 Toyota
• 30, Noah Gragson, No. 4 Ford
• 31, Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Toyota
• 32, Kyle Busch, No. 8 Chevrolet
• 33, Austin Hill, No. 33 Chevrolet
• 34, Cody Ware, No. 51 Ford
• 35, Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Chevrolet
• 36, Todd Gilliland, No. 34 Ford
• 37, Ty Dillon, No. 10 Chevrolet
• 38, Corey Heim, No. 67 Toyota
• 39, Chad Finchum, No. 66 Ford

Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.

This article was originally published on Heavy Sports

The post NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops Night Race: AJ Allmendinger Earns Long-Awaited Pole Position At Bristol Motor Speedway appeared first on Heavy Sports.