In an exciting day at Bristol Motor Speedway, AJ Allmendinger, driver for Kaulig Racing, surprised the NASCAR Cup Series playoff contenders by securing the pole position for Saturday night’s elimination race. Allmendinger, behind the wheel of the No. 16 Chevrolet, clocked a time of 15.117 seconds (126.930 mph) on Friday, securing his first pole in a decade. This achievement not only highlights his skill but also makes him the most veteran driver to achieve a pole at Bristol since Mark Martin in 2009.
Ryan Blaney, from Team Penske, secured the second position on the grid, just 0.003 seconds behind Allmendinger. Blaney is in a solid position to secure his place in the second round, needing 15 points to achieve it.Getting a pole in Bristol is something impressive. It’s a small victory for our racing team, which is constantly growing. Days like today give me confidence because I feel like I can still do it. It proves that I can be here.
AJ Allmendinger
Austin Cindric, also from Team Penske, qualified third, followed by Ty Gibbs and Kyle Larson, who is seeking his third consecutive victory in Bristol. Cindric, placed 12th in the standings, with 11 points above the cut line, commented on the importance of the 500-lap race that will eliminate four drivers from the playoffs.I think our car is very 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
Playoff drivers Denny Hamlin, William Byron, Bubba Wallace, Josh Berry, and Christopher Bell rounded out the top ten in the standings. Other playoff drivers, such as Ross Chastain, Tyler Reddick, Alex Bowman, Chase Elliott, Joey Logano, Austin Dillon, and Shane van Gisbergen, also secured their starting positions for the competition.It’s the first box checked, but nothing is guaranteed from here. I feel like we’ve done our job for Friday. This sets us up well to try and keep controlling our destiny for the end of the race.
Austin Cindric
