Kyle Larson starts first at Bristol on September 19, while four Chase contenders face a long climb from 25th or worse.
Kyle Larson will lead the NASCAR Cup field to the green flag in the Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Weather canceled Friday qualifying, so officials used the formula to set the lineup.
The Gateway winner starts first for the Round of 16 cutoff, alongside Joey Logano, while points leader Denny Hamlin lines up third. Four Chase drivers face a much tougher assignment, starting 25th or worse with advancement at stake.
Larson claims the best seat
Larson enters the 500-lap race second in the standings on 2,159 points, nine behind Hamlin’s 2,168. Christopher Bell sits third with 2,150, which leaves the top three covered by 18 points ahead of the opening Chase round’s final race.
The pole comes after Larson’s September 13 victory at Gateway. He snapped a 51-race winless run and secured his first Cup victory in 16 months, leading a Hendrick Motorsports one-two finish.
Larson earned 73 points at Gateway. Runner-up Alex Bowman scored 38, while third-place finisher Logano took 54.
Friday’s qualifying washout handed Larson the first starting position through the statistical formula. Logano lines up second, ahead of Hamlin and William Byron. Carson Hocevar rounds out the top five, followed by Bowman in sixth.
Four contenders start in traffic
Bristol hosts the third race of the 10-race Chase and the Round of 16 cutoff. Saturday night will reduce the championship field from 16 drivers to 12.
Chase Briscoe, Chase Elliott, Daniel Suárez and Ryan Blaney are each set to start 25th or worse. All four will be buried in the heavy traffic that defines the 0.533-mile concrete oval, while Larson, Hamlin and Logano have clear track in front of them.
The 500-lap race features stages of 125, 125 and 250 laps, with the start scheduled for 7:30 p. m. ET.
Chris Buescher starts 23rd, and he has already made the No. 17 team’s plan clear.
“We’re just going to be aggressive.”
He made that statement 19 hours before the race as final preparations continued at Bristol. Buescher joins Elliott, Suárez and Blaney among the established drivers starting outside the top 20.
Keselowski explains Gateway outburst
Brad Keselowski also discussed the radio comments he directed toward Ford leadership during the Gateway weekend. His explanation was short.
“I wanted to win.”
Keselowski is scheduled to start 11th at Bristol, one row ahead of Bell in 12th. Ty Gibbs lines up 13th, followed by Erik Jones in 14th and Connor Zilisch in 15th.
Keselowski has a shorter path to the front than several fellow Ford drivers on the Bristol grid. Blaney starts 29th and Buescher begins 23rd, while Austin Cindric holds the best starting spot in that group in eighth.
Spire and JGR dispute escalates
An off-track dispute also emerged during the Bristol weekend. Joe Gibbs Racing filed motions seeking sanctions against Spire Motorsports and Chris Gabehart, prompting Spire to issue a public response 15 hours before Saturday’s race.
The confirmed details establish that the motions were filed and Spire responded, although no sanction had been announced before race day. Gabehart is named directly in the motion, and both organizations have now presented their positions through formal statements.
The issue brings an active team dispute into a weekend with championship implications. It has no effect on the Bristol lineup or the Chase standings entering Saturday night.
Three tracks follow Bristol
The next phase of the Cup schedule follows quickly after the first elimination race. Kansas II runs September 24 through 27, before Las Vegas II takes place from October 1 through 4.
Charlotte II is set for October 8 through 11.
Before then, Bristol will cut the Chase field to 12. Larson starts from the front, Hamlin holds the points lead and Bell lines up 12th with an 18-point deficit to the championship leader. The Bass Pro Shops Night Race is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p. m. ET on September 19.
