Another exciting NASCAR Cup Series qualifying session is in the books, and it's AJ Allmendinger who has taken a shock pole at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Whilst all of the focus heading into the Bass Pro Shops Night Race has been on the playoffs and the four drivers set to be eliminated after the black and white checkered flag, Allmendinger did not get the memo, snatching pole with a 15.117-second lap time.
The Kaulig Racing star's time was enough to deny Team Penske and playoff driver Ryan Blaney by just 0.003 seconds, and marks Allmendinger's first pole position in over a decade.
Blaney's Penske teammate Austin Cindric rounded out the top three in qualifying on Friday evening, with Ty Gibbs and Kyle Larson also set to start inside the top five on Saturday after their respective finishes.
Further down the order, it was a rough session for some big names, including playoff drivers Chase Briscoe and Joey Logano. Briscoe will start 30th when the green flag drops on Saturday night, with Logano set to start in 22nd.
With all of that said, let's take a look at the full results from qualifying below, including lap times and gaps.
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NASCAR Cup Series: Who is on pole at Bristol?
After Friday evening's qualifying session at Bristol Motor Speedway, here is the full results and starting lineup for the 2025 Bass Pro Shops Night Race.
| Pos | Driver (Car No.) | Team | Time/Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AJ Allmendinger (16) | Kaulig Racing Chevrolet | 15.117 secs |
| 2 | Ryan Blaney (12) | Team Penske Ford | +0.003 |
| 3 | Austin Cindric (2) | Team Penske Ford | +0.015 |
| 4 | Ty Gibbs (54) | Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota | +0.025 |
| 5 | Kyle Larson (5) | Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet | +0.031 |
| 6 | Denny Hamlin (11) | Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota | +0.074 |
| 7 | William Byron (24) | Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet | +0.089 |
| 8 | Bubba Wallace (23) | 23XI Racing Toyota | +0.091 |
| 9 | Christopher Bell (20) | Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota | +0.097 |
| 10 | Josh Berry (21) | Wood Brothers Racing Ford | +0.097 |
| 11 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr (47) | HYAK Motorsports Chevrolet | +0.103 |
| 12 | Carson Hocevar (77) | Spire Motorsports Chevrolet | +0.105 |
| 13 | Ross Chastain (1) | Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet | +0.122 |
| 14 | Tyler Reddick (45) | 23XI Racing Toyota | +0.129 |
| 15 | Alex Bowman (48) | Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet | +0.141 |
| 16 | Chase Elliott (9) | Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet | +0.154 |
| 17 | Justin Haley (7) | Spire Motorsports Chevrolet | +0.155 |
| 18 | John Hunter Nemechek (42) | Legacy Motor Club Toyota | +0.156 |
| 19 | Brad Keselowski (6) | RFK Racing Ford | +0.156 |
| 20 | Ryan Preece (60) | RFK Racing Ford | +0.164 |
| 21 | Chris Buescher (17) | RFK Racing Ford | +0.173 |
| 22 | Joey Logano (22) | Team Penske Ford | +0.181 |
| 23 | Austin Dillon (3) | Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet | +0.215 |
| 24 | Zane Smith (38) | Front Row Motorsports Ford | +0.227 |
| 25 | Michael McDowell (71) | Spire Motorsports Chevrolet | +0.244 |
| 26 | Cole Custer (41) | Haas Factory Team Ford | +0.258 |
| 27 | Erik Jones (43) | Legacy Motor Club Toyota | +0.271 |
| 28 | Shane Van Gisbergen (88) | Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet | +0.279 |
| 29 | Riley Herbst (35) | 23XI Racing Toyota | +0.280 |
| 30 | Noah Gragson (4) | Front Row Motorsports Ford | +0.285 |
| 31 | Chase Briscoe (19) | Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota | +0.314 |
| 32 | Kyle Busch (8) | Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet | +0.315 |
| 33 | Austin Hill (33) | Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet | +0.363 |
| 34 | Cody Ware (51) | Rick Ware Racing Ford | +0.483 |
| 35 | Daniel Suárez (99) | Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet | +0.495 |
| 36 | Todd Gilliland (34) | Front Row Motorsports Ford | +0.514 |
| 37 | Ty Dillon (10) | Kaulig Racing Chevrolet | +0.540 |
| 38 | Corey Heim (67) | 23XI Racing Toyota | +0.556 |
| 39 | Chad Finchum (66) | Garage 66 Ford | +0.937 |
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