AJ Allmendinger ended a 10-year pole drought with a stellar lap at Bristol Motor Speedway, earning the top starting spot for Saturday night’s Bass Pro Shops Night Race. The Kaulig Racing driver posted a 15.117-second lap (126.930 mph) in qualifying, narrowly edging playoff contender Ryan Blaney by 0.003 seconds. Allmendinger’s fifth career pole, and first since 2015 at Watkins Glen, sets the stage for a high-stakes Round of 16 elimination race where playoff positioning and early track dominance will be crucial.
Key Highlights
AJ Allmendinger earns first pole since 2015, fifth career pole.
Ryan Blaney qualifies second, just 0.003 seconds behind Allmendinger.
Austin Cindric secures third, improving well above his Bristol average starting spot.
Non-playoff driver Ty Gibbs qualifies fourth, fastest Toyota on the grid.
Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, and William Byron round out the top six starting positions.
AJ Allmendinger’s Strategic Lap and First Pole in a Decade
Allmendinger’s lap held up against a field loaded with playoff contenders. He reflected on the effort after qualifying:
“We just had a really good practice. We had a solid race in the spring, so good notes to go off of, for sure. You never know. They were saying the tires were going to be a little different, but our practice was really good. I was pretty happy with that lap… We’ll see how it races on Saturday, once you get 125 laps on it.” – AJ Allmendinger
The pole represents Allmendinger’s first at Bristol and highlights his ability to perform on short tracks, giving Kaulig Racing a boost as the Cup Series approaches a critical playoff elimination race.
Blaney, Cindric, and Playoff Contenders
Ryan Blaney narrowly missed the pole by 0.003 seconds, posting a 15.120-second lap (126.905 mph).
“I’m proud of our lap and proud to be starting on the front row. I just got tight in Turns 3 and 4… I think our race car is really good over the long haul, and I’m just looking forward to Saturday night. Hopefully, we can run a good 500 laps and keep up with the race track and see what we can do.” – Ryan Blaney
Austin Cindric qualified third with a 15.132-second lap (126.804 mph), significantly better than his average Bristol starting position of 21.4, giving him a strong platform as he hovers just above the elimination cutline for the Round of 12. Kyle Larson, the winner of the last two Cup races at Bristol, will start fifth, while Denny Hamlin and William Byron secured sixth and seventh positions.
Playoff Implications and Grid Highlights
The starting lineup places several drivers in pivotal positions for the Round of 16. Bubba Wallace, Christopher Bell, and Josh Berry will start eighth through tenth, with Berry needing a strong result to advance past the Round of 16. Alex Bowman qualified 15th, while Joey Logano and Austin Dillon start 22nd and 23rd, respectively. Shane van Gisbergen, 15 points below the cutline, will begin 28th, making track position crucial for his playoff chances. Other playoff drivers, including Ross Chastain, Tyler Reddick, and Chase Elliott, qualified 13th, 14th, and 16th, respectively.
| Car | Driver | Speed (mph) |
|---|---|---|
| 16 | AJ Allmendinger | 126.930 |
| 12 | Ryan Blaney (P) | 126.905 |
| 2 | Austin Cindric (P) | 126.804 |
| 54 | Ty Gibbs | 126.720 |
| 5 | Kyle Larson (P) | 126.670 |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin (P) | 126.312 |
| 24 | William Byron (P) | 126.187 |
| 23 | Bubba Wallace (P) | 126.170 |
| 20 | Christopher Bell (P) | 126.121 |
| 21 | Josh Berry (P) | 126.121 |
| 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 126.071 |
| 77 | Carson Hocevar | 126.054 |
| 1 | Ross Chastain (P) | 125.914 |
| 45 | Tyler Reddick (P) | 125.856 |
| 48 | Alex Bowman (P) | 125.757 |
| 9 | Chase Elliott (P) | 125.650 |
| 7 | Justin Haley | 125.642 |
| 6 | Brad Keselowski | 125.633 |
| 42 | John Hunter Nemechek | 125.633 |
| 60 | Ryan Preece | 125.568 |
| 17 | Chris Buescher | 125.494 |
| 22 | Joey Logano (P) | 125.428 |
| 3 | Austin Dillon (P) | 125.150 |
| 38 | Zane Smith | 125.052 |
| 71 | Michael McDowell | 124.914 |
| 41 | Cole Custer | 124.800 |
| 43 | Erik Jones | 124.695 |
| 88 | Shane van Gisbergen (P) # | 124.630 |
| 35 | Riley Herbst # | 124.622 |
| 4 | Noah Gragson | 124.581 |
| 19 | Chase Briscoe (P) | 124.347 |
| 8 | Kyle Busch | 124.339 |
| 33 | Austin Hill (i) | 123.953 |
| 51 | Cody Ware | 123.000 |
| 99 | Daniel Suarez | 122.905 |
| 34 | Todd Gilliland | 122.756 |
| 10 | Ty Dillon | 122.552 |
| 67 | Corey Heim (i) | 122.427 |
| 66 | Chad Finchum | 119.522 |
Non-playoff drivers made their mark as well. Ty Gibbs qualified fourth in the fastest Toyota, highlighting the competitiveness of Kaulig Racing and providing a reminder that Bristol’s short track often produces unexpected opportunities. Practice sessions were incident-free, with Justin Haley and Ryan Blaney topping the speed charts at 125.354 mph in their respective groups, while drivers gathered crucial data on Goodyear’s softer right-side tires designed to increase wear and challenge tire management strategy for the 500-lap event.
News in Brief: Bristol Bass Pro Shops Night Race: Full Starting Lineup
AJ Allmendinger captured his first Bristol pole in over 10 years, posting a 15.117-second lap for the Bass Pro Shops Night Race. Ryan Blaney narrowly missed the pole by 0.003 seconds, with Austin Cindric qualifying third. Ty Gibbs was the fastest Toyota, starting fourth, while Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, and William Byron completed the top six. Playoff drivers face critical positioning challenges, with Josh Berry, Alex Bowman, Joey Logano, Austin Dillon, and Shane van Gisbergen starting deeper in the field. Track data and tire management will play major roles Saturday night.
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