By David Morgan, Associate Editor
BRISTOL, Tenn. – Day one of NASCAR Cup Series action at Bristol Motor Speedway is complete, with drivers and teams getting a full practice session to dial in their cars before setting the field for Saturday night’s Bass Pro Night Race.
Alex Bowman will lead the field to green after posting the fast time of 15.142 seconds (126.720 mph) around the half-mile bullring to snag his first pole of the season at the most opportune time in the first elimination race of the Playoffs.
“I thought we struggled a little bit in practice, more than I was expecting. And then really in qualifying, I had a lot of grip,” Bowman said of his lap.
“I was a little bit too tight and it was one of those situations where you run a lap and you’re like, it’s either gonna be really good or really slow. Because when you’re tight you just slow down until you can turn. Obviously after the first round felt pretty good about it and thankful to start up front and qualify well.
“Qualifying has not been our strongest suite over the years, so being a cutoff race and everything, starting up front’s definitely important.”
Bowman will be joined by fellow Hendrick Motorsports Kyle Larson on the front row, with another Hendrick driver in William Byron rolling off from third place.
Martin Truex, Jr starts fourth in his final Bristol night race as a full-time Cup Series driver, as Chase Briscoe rounds out the top-five starters.
Christopher Bell locked in with the sixth-place starting position, followed by other Playoff contenders in eighth (Denny Hamlin) and 10th (Chase Elliott)
The Spire Motorsports duo of Carson Hocevar and Corey LaJoie were the best of the non-Playoff drivers after qualifying seventh and ninth, respectively.
Other Playoff drivers are scattered down the starting lineup with Ty Gibbs in 13th, Tyler Reddick in 15th, Joey Logano in 20th, Ryan Blaney in 22nd, Brad Keselowski in 23rd, Austin Cindric in 27th, Harrison Burton in 34th, and Daniel Suarez in 35th.
Practice went to the No. 54 Toyota of Ty Gibbs, with Blaney, Larson, Byron, and Elliott making up the top-five fastest during the 45-minute session.
Bubba Wallace was sixth fastest, followed by Bell, Briscoe, and Bowman clocking in seventh through ninth. Hocevar rounded out the top-10 in practice.
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