It is a Team Penske front row for the upcoming NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race at Bristol Motor Speedway, the Bass Pro Shops Night Race, as Brad Keselowski will start on the pole while teammate Joey Logano will join him on the front row.
Keselowski, who is coming off a dominating win last weekend at Richmond Raceway and is locked into the second round of this year’s Cup Playoffs, earned the pole position for this weekend based on four stats: current owner points standings, driver’s and team owner’s result from a previous Cup race and the fastest lap recorded from a previous Cup race. This will mark the third time where Keselowski and his No. 2 Team Penske Ford Mustang will lead the field to the start of a Cup race. In addition, Keselowski will attempt to sweep both Cup Bristol races this season after he claimed a thrilling win in May.
Logano, who finished in third place last weekend at Richmond and who is a two-time Bristol Night Race winner, will start on the front row for the seventh time this season. Martin Truex Jr., who finished in second place at Richmond and is pursuing his first elusive win at Bristol, will line in third place alongside Kevin Harvick, who is already guaranteed a spot in the second round of the Playoffs. Austin Dillon will round out the top five in fifth place and will start alongside Chase Elliott followed by Denny Hamlin, the reigning Bristol Night Race winner who earned enough points to be locked into the second round of the Playoffs. Alex Bowman will start in eighth place followed by eight-time Cup Bristol winner Kyle Busch and Aric Almirola.
Clint Bowyer, who holds sole possession of the 12th and final transfer spot to the second round of the Playoffs by three points, will start in 11th place followed by teammate Cole Custer, Kurt Busch, Ryan Blaney, William Byron and Matt DiBenedetto. Byron, Custer, DiBenedetto and Blaney are the four Playoff competitors who are below the top-12 cutline and on the brink of elimination from title contention approaching this weekend’s event at Bristol.
Tyler Reddick will start in 17th place and as the highest-starting non-title contender followed by Christopher Bell, Matt Kenseth and Erik Jones.
Rounding out positions 21-30 are Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ryan Preece, Chris Buescher, Jimmie Johnson, Ryan Newman, Michael McDowell, Bubba Wallace, Ty Dillon, Daniel Suarez and Corey LaJoie.
Rounding out positions 31-40 are John Hunter Nemechek, Brennan Poole, Quin Houff, Reed Sorenson, James Davison, Joey Gase, Gray Gaulding, Timmy Hill, Josh Bilicki and Garrett Smithley.
The Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway will occur on Saturday, September 19, at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.
