Check out the full 2026 NASCAR Cup Bristol starting lineup following Qualifying, round 7 of 36.
Ryan Blaney clinched pole position for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway with a scorching lap time of 15.101 seconds, translating to an impressive average speed of 127.064 mph around the iconic 0.533-mile concrete oval.
In a dramatic finale to the qualifying session, the Team Penske driver edged out points leader Tyler Reddick by a mere 0.023 seconds, marking his 13th career Cup pole and first in the 2026 season.
Chase Briscoe rounded out the top three, just 0.034 seconds behind Blaney, followed by Riley Herbst who delivered a breakout performance to take fourth, while Ty Gibbs slotted into fifth for Joe Gibbs Racing.
The margins tightened dramatically from there with Ross Chastain, Chris Buescher, Kyle Larson, Austin Cindric and rookie sensation Carson Hocevar completing the top ten.
2026 NASCAR Cup Bristol starting lineup
| Pos | Car | Driver | Team | Time/Gap | mph |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske Ford | 15.101 | 127.064 |
| 2 | 45 | Tyler Reddick | 23XI Racing Toyota | +0.023 | 126.871 |
| 3 | 19 | Chase Briscoe | Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota | +0.034 | 126.779 |
| 4 | 35 | Riley Herbst | 23XI Racing Toyota | +0.046 | 126.679 |
| 5 | 54 | Ty Gibbs | Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota | +0.063 | 126.537 |
| 6 | 1 | Ross Chastain | TrackHouse Racing Chevrolet | +0.074 | 126.445 |
| 7 | 17 | Chris Buescher | RFK Racing Ford | +0.089 | 126.320 |
| 8 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet | +0.091 | 126.303 |
| 9 | 2 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske Ford | +0.099 | 126.237 |
| 10 | 77 | Carson Hocevar | Spire Motorsports Chevrolet | +0.100 | 126.229 |
| 11 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota | +0.124 | 126.030 |
| 12 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing Toyota | +0.130 | 125.980 |
| 13 | 7 | Daniel Suarez | Spire Motorsports Chevrolet | +0.132 | 125.963 |
| 14 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota | +0.160 | 125.732 |
| 15 | 38 | Zane Smith | Front Row Motorsports Ford | +0.176 | 125.601 |
| 16 | 4 | Noah Gragson | Front Row Motorsports Ford | +0.178 | 125.584 |
| 17 | 60 | Ryan Preece | RFK Racing Ford | +0.181 | 125.559 |
| 18 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet | +0.184 | 125.535 |
| 19 | 71 | Michael McDowell | Spire Motorsports Chevrolet | +0.190 | 125.486 |
| 20 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske Ford | +0.210 | 125.322 |
| 21 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing Ford | +0.211 | 125.313 |
| 22 | 16 | AJ Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing Chevrolet | +0.222 | 125.224 |
| 23 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr | Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet | +0.230 | 125.158 |
| 24 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet | +0.243 | 125.052 |
| 25 | 21 | Josh Berry | Wood Brothers Racing Ford | +0.263 | 124.889 |
| 26 | 88 | Connor Zilisch | TrackHouse Racing Chevrolet | +0.267 | 124.857 |
| 27 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet | +0.267 | 124.857 |
| 28 | 43 | Eric Jones | Legacy Motor Club Toyota | +0.277 | 124.776 |
| 29 | 8 | Kyle Busch | Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet | +0.288 | 124.686 |
| 30 | 41 | Cole Custer | Haas Factory Team Chevrolet | +0.303 | 124.565 |
| 31 | 42 | John Hunter Nemechek | Legacy Motor Club Toyota | +0.366 | 124.058 |
| 32 | 10 | Ty Dillon | Kaulig Racing Chevrolet | +0.397 | 123.810 |
| 33 | 97 | Shane van Gisbergen | TrackHouse Racing Chevrolet | +0.413 | 123.682 |
| 34 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet | +0.453 | 123.364 |
| 35 | 34 | Todd Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports Ford | +0.492 | 123.055 |
| 36 | 51 | Cody Ware | Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet | +0.512 | 122.898 |
| 37 | 66 | Chad Finchum | Garage 66 Ford | +0.610 | 122.131 |
READ MORE:
Full 2026 NASCAR Bristol weekend schedule: Start times, where to watch
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