Kyle Larson just edged Chase Elliott for the pole at Bristol Motor Speedway on Friday (Aug. 17) evening.
Larson’s lap was .015-seconds faster than Elliott’s for his first pole since Sonoma Raceway in June. The pole is Larson’s first at Bristol and seventh of his career. It will be Elliott’s 10th front row start of his career and second at Bristol.
Defending night race winner Kyle Busch qualified in third, while Paul Menard and William Byron rounded out the top-five.
2016 Bristol Night Race winner Kevin Harvick put his No. 4 Jimmy John’s Ford Fusion in sixth while Denny Hamlin, Aric Almirola, Kurt Busch and Ryan Blaney rounded out the top-10 speeds. The Fords of Brad Keselowski and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. rounded out the top 12 drivers.
Notable drivers who qualified outside the top 12 include Jimmie Johnson, Erik Jones, Clint Bowyer, Martin Truex Jr., Joey Logano, Daniel Suarez and Alex Bowman.
With 41 cars entered, BJ McLeod in the No. 52 for Rick Ware Racing will not race in Saturday’s Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race.
Starting Lineup for Saturday’s Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race
Coverage of the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race begins at 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN with Countdown to Green. America’s Night Race is slated to begin at 6:30 p.m. ET and can also be seen on NBCSN.
About the author
His favorite tracks on the circuit include Barber Motorsports Park, Iowa Speedway, Martinsville Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway, Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville, and Bristol Motor Speedway.
During the season, Christian also spends time as a photographer with multiple other outlets shooting Monster Energy AMA Supercross, Minor League & Major League Baseball, and NCAA Football.
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