Kyle Larson will start eighth at Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend after turning a lap of 15.192 seconds, putting him in position to chase another victory at one of his strongest tracks. Chase Elliott, fresh off a win at Martinsville Speedway two weeks ago, will roll off 18th, while Alex Bowman is 27th and William Byron 34th.
Larson has two wins in his last three starts at Bristol and is seeking his fourth Bristol win, a number that underscores how much he has figured out the half-mile oval in recent seasons. Elliott’s Martinsville victory two weeks ago gave Hendrick Motorsports its first win of the season, ending an early stretch without a trip to victory lane.
Bowman’s return to the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet adds another layer to the weekend. He missed four races with vertigo symptoms before getting back in the car at Bristol, where starting deep in the field will put the emphasis on recovery and timing rather than track position alone.
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The qualifying results leave Hendrick Motorsports with a mixed outlook as the NASCAR Cup Series heads into race day. Larson has the kind of Bristol history that can turn a middle-row start into a threat, but Elliott, Bowman and Byron will have work to do if they want to move forward quickly on a track where traffic and rhythm matter from the opening laps.
For a weekend built around the nascar schedule at Bristol, the opening lineup already tells part of the story: Larson has the best starting spot among the Hendrick drivers, Elliott is carrying recent momentum, and Bowman is simply back where he belongs after four races away.
