Allmendinger Shocks in Bristol: Pole Position After 10-Year Drought

In an exciting day at Bristol Motor Speedway, AJ Allmendinger stole the show in qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series race, surpassing the drivers competing in the playoffs.

Allmendinger Shocks at Bristol

The Kaulig Racing driver secured the pole position for the first time in a decade, setting a time of 15.117 seconds (126.930 mph) behind the wheel of his No. 16 Chevrolet. With this, his fifth pole in a Cup race and the first since August 2015 at Watkins Glen, Allmendinger, 43, became the oldest driver to win a pole at Bristol since Mark Martin, who achieved it at 50 in 2009.

Getting the pole in Bristol is incredible. Let’s hope we can maintain that pace for the 500 laps.

AJ Allmendinger

Ryan Blaney, for his part, qualified in second place, just 0.003 seconds off the pole with his No. 12 Ford. Blaney is in a favorable position to secure the 15 points needed and advance to the second round.

I think our car is really good for the long run and I’m looking forward to Saturday night. Overall, I’m proud of the effort, and being so close to the pole is a good day.

Ryan Blaney

Austin Cindric, Blaney’s teammate, secured third place, followed by Ty Gibbs and Kyle Larson, who is seeking his third consecutive victory at Bristol. Cindric, currently in 12th place in the standings, is 11 points above the playoff cut line.

It’s the first step, but nothing is guaranteed. I feel like we’ve done our job for Friday. This sets us up well to try and control our destiny for the end of the race.

Austin Cindric

Playoff drivers Denny Hamlin, William Byron, Bubba Wallace, Josh Berry, and Christopher Bell rounded out the top 10 in the standings. Other playoff drivers, such as Ross Chastain (13th), Tyler Reddick (14th), Alex Bowman (15th), Chase Elliott (16th), Joey Logano (22nd), Austin Dillon (23rd), and Shane van Gisbergen (28th) also secured their starting positions.