Nascar Cup Series qualifying looked a little different this Saturday at Bristol Motor Speedway, and not just because the paved oval was turned to dirt. Drivers ran four qualifying heat races instead of traditional time trials to set the lineup for for the Easter Sunday race. While three Chevys and a Toyota took the victories in the heat races, Ford won the war, as Cole Custer accumulated the most points to take the pole position in the No. 41 Nascar Ford Mustang.
Four heats lasting 15 laps each made for short races that each ran under 20 minutes long, each pitting nine Cup Series drivers against one another. In order to take home the pole position, drivers had to earn the most points by advancing their position in the qualifying races.
The first race saw Tyler Reddick in the No. 8 Next Gen Camaro ZL1 pacing the field, with eventual pole position winner Custer’s No. 41 Ford Mustang hot on his tail. Ryan Blaney in the No. 12 Ford went for a spin with a few laps to go, but recovered his position once the green flag waved. On the last lap, Ross Chastain in the No. 1 Camaro spun out. Reddick’s No. 8 Camaro crossed the finish line first.
Christopher Bell, driver of the No. 20 Toyota TRD Camry, drove to victory in the second heat after passing his teammate in the No. 18 Camry, Kyle Busch. Daniel Suarez in the No. 99 Camaro spun out in this race, bringing out the only caution flag.
The third heat went to Justin Haley in the No. 31 Camaro, who led all 15 laps on his way to victory. Finally, the victor of the fourth heat was Ty Dillon, driver of the No. 42 Camaro, who managed to outpace Chase Elliott in the No. 9 Camaro and seasoned dirt racer Kyle Larson in the No. 5 Camaro.
Because he accumulated the most points in his dash from ninth to second place in the first heat race, Custer in the No. 41 Mustang will lead the field to green on Sunday night at “Dirt Bristol.” Bell in the No. 20 Toyota will start second, Reddick in the No. 8 Camaro third, Chase Briscoe in the No. 14 Ford fourth, and Kyle Larson’s No. 5 Camaro fifth. The race starts Sunday, April 17th at 7 p.m. ET.
| Pos | Car Number | Driver | Team | Time | Speed | Car |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 41 | Cole Custer | Jacob Construction/HaasTooling Ford | 0 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 2 | 20 | Christopher Bell | DeWalt Toyota | 0 | 0 | Toyota TRD Camry |
| 3 | 8 | Tyler Reddick | 3CHI Chevrolet | 0 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 4 | 14 | Chase Briscoe | HighPoint.com Ford | 0 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 5 | 5 | Kyle Larson | HendrickCars.com Chevrolet | 0 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 6 | 31 | Justin Haley | LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet | 0 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 7 | 42 | Ty Dillon | Food City/Gain Chevrolet | 0 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 8 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Ally Chevrolet | 0 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 9 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Kelley Blue Book Chevrolet | 0 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 10 | 22 | Joey Logano | Shell Pennzoil Ford | 0 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 11 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Mars Crunchy Cookie Toyota | 0 | 0 | Toyota TRD Camry |
| 12 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Off Road Chevrolet | 0 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 13 | 45 | Kurt Busch | Monster Energy Toyota | 0 | 0 | Toyota TRD Camry |
| 14 | 43 | Erik Jones | Food City/Tide Chevrolet | 0 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 15 | 17 | Chris Buescher | Fastenal Ford | 0 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 16 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Kroger/Irish Spring Chevrolet | 0 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 17 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Love's Travel Stops Ford | 0 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 18 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | Solomon Plumbing Ford | 0 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 19 | 24 | William Byron | Liberty University Chevrolet | 0 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 20 | 2 | Austin Cindric # | Discount Tire Ford | 0 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 21 | 99 | Daniel Suarez | Tootsies Orchid Lounge Chevrolet | 0 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 22 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | Columbia Sportswear Company Toyota | 0 | 0 | Toyota TRD Camry |
| 23 | 38 | Todd Gilliland # | First Phase Credit Card Ford | 0 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 24 | 21 | Harrison Burton # | Dex Imaging Ford | 0 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 25 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Menards/Dutch Boy Ford | 0 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 26 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | Nations Guard Chevrolet | 0 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 27 | 77 | Justin Allgaier(i) | BRANDT Chevrolet | 0 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 28 | 16 | Noah Gragson(i) | Chevy Truck Month Chevrolet | 0 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 29 | 15 | JJ Yeley(i) | Georgia Strong/JAG Metals LLC Ford | 0 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 30 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Auto-Owners Insurance Toyota | 0 | 0 | Toyota TRD Camry |
| 31 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Cummins/Rush Truck Centers Ford | 0 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 32 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Busch Latte Ford | 0 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 33 | 1 | Ross Chastain | Advent Health Chevrolet | 0 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 34 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | FedEx Ground Toyota | 0 | 0 | Toyota TRD Camry |
| 35 | 51 | Cody Ware | Nurtec ODT Ford | 0 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 36 | 78 | Josh Williams(i) | Alloy Employer Services Ford | 0 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
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