NASCAR starting lineup: Christopher Bell claims pole in qualifying for Bass Pro Shops Night Race
Final qualifying results: Christopher Bell was the fastest driver in the second round of qualifying and claimed pole position. Denny Hamlin will join him on the front row to start Saturday’s race. The full starting lineup will be listed below.
Group B qualifying results: Denny Hamlin was the fastest first-round qualifier in Group B. Brad Keselowski, William Byron, Michael McDowell, and Martin Truex, Jr. will join him in the second round of qualifying.
Group A qualifying results: Christopher Bell was the fastest first-round qualifier in Group A. Ty Gibbs, Corey LaJoie, Bubba Wallace, and Chase Elliott will join him in the second round of qualifying.
The NASCAR Cup Series continues its playoff series this weekend with the Bass Pro Shops Night Race. The race is running a day earlier than the usual schedule, with the green flag dropping at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday at Bristol Motor Speedway.
The earlier race means we get some Friday qualifying to determine the starting lineup. Qualifying will get started at 5:20 p.m. ET and will air on USA and via live stream at NBC Live. If you’re unable to watch qualifying, we’ll be providing live updates as the starting lineup is settled.
The drivers will be running two rounds of single-car, two-lap qualifying on Friday. That means each driver gets two laps to run their fastest lap time. The field is split in half for the first round, with the five fastest drivers in each group advancing to the second round. Those ten drivers then compete for pole position.
Kyle Larson arrives at qualifying as the favorite to win at DraftKings Sportsbook with +550 odds. This is the last race in the first round of the 2023 playoffs and Larson won the first of these three races to secure advancement. Tyler Reddick won last week in Kansas to also clinch a spot in the round of 12. The winner of Saturday’s race will guaranteed advancement, with the rest of the 12-driver field determined by points standings.
Here is the full entry list for Saturday’s Bass Pro Shops Night Race Cup Series race. We’ll update it with the full starting lineup as qualifying wraps.
