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Larson Lands NASCAR Pole After Bristol Qualifying Rainout
NASCAR used its metric formula after lightning halted qualifying, and 39 cars entered the race while 38 will start, officials said.
On Friday, September 18, 2026, NASCAR canceled qualifying at Bristol Motor Speedway due to lightning, awarding Kyle Larson the pole position for Saturday's Bass Pro Shops Night Race.
Storms and lightning forced officials to scrap the single-car, two-lap qualifying session after only four drivers completed their runs in hot, humid conditions at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Metric formula calculations determined the starting grid, placing Joey Logano alongside Larson on the front row, with top seed Denny Hamlin starting third.
The 500-lap race is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET tonight from the 0.533-mile concrete oval, with the USA Network providing national broadcast coverage.
Larson brings significant momentum into the third NASCAR Cup Series postseason race, sitting nine points out of the lead following his recent victory at World Wide Technology Raceway.