Larson Takes Bristol Pole After Rain Cancels Qualifying
NXTbets Pro | Published On: September 19, 2026
Bristol qualifying canceled
Lightning and rain canceled Cup Series qualifying at Bristol Motor Speedway on Friday, and NASCAR turned to its performance metric to set the starting order for Saturday night’s Bass Pro Shops Night Race. Kyle Larson will start on the pole, and Joey Logano will line up beside him on the front row in second. The weather ended the session before the field could settle anything on the track, so the lineup came from NASCAR’s formula instead of lap times. That left the top of the grid set before race night arrived, with Larson at the front and Logano on the outside of the first row. Denny Hamlin will start third, William Byron fourth, Carson Hocevar fifth, Alex Bowman sixth, Ross Chastain seventh, Austin Cindric eighth, Austin Dillon ninth and Bubba Wallace 10th. The first 10 spots now give Bristol a clear order for the start, even though qualifying never got the chance to run. The pole gives Larson the first slot in the field, and it puts Logano alongside him as the race opens under the lights at Bristol.
Top 10 lineup
The sequence fills the first five rows of the grid and locks in the front half of the field without a qualifying lap. Each driver now knows the starting spot for Saturday night, and each one will have to work from that position when the race begins. The lineup gives Bristol a clean break between the drivers at the sharp end of the field and the rest of the pack behind them.
Deeper starting spots
The same weather-driven setup shaped the rest of the field, and the lower starting spots now carry their own challenge. Tyler Reddick will start 20th, which places him in the middle of the lineup and leaves him work to do from the start. Chase Briscoe will line up 26th, Chase Elliott 27th, Daniel Suarez 28th and Ryan Blaney 29th. Those four are all set well behind the top 10, and each will have to climb through traffic once the race gets going. Those positions are fixed by NASCAR’s procedure rather than qualifying speed, putting a premium on track position from the first lap. That leaves the field arranged by NASCAR’s procedure rather than by speed in qualifying, and it puts a premium on track position from the first lap.
