NASCAR Cup Series qualifying from Bowman Gray Stadium is in the books, and it’s the reigning champion Kyle Larson who will start the Clash from the pole.
After three postponements, NASCAR finally got the action underway today, with the Hendrick Motorsports star setting the fastest lap time of the session (14.137 secs) to secure his spot out front for tonight’s green flag.
In doing so, Larson narrowly edged his Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron, who qualified second and will start alongside him on the front row.
Behind Larson and Byron, the Joe Gibbs Racing cars locked themselves into positions three through six, with Ty Gibbs, Chase Briscoe, Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin qualifying in that order.
Elsewhere, Bubba Wallace, Chris Buescher, Ross Chastain and Tyler Reddick rounded out the top 10.
Later, in last chance qualifying, Josh Berry and Austin Cindric added their names to the Clash entry list by finishing one and two.
Alex Bowman will also join the 23-car lineup given that he is the driver who scored the most points in 2025 but failed to qualify in qualifying or last chance qualifying.
READ MORE: NASCAR Race Today: The Clash start times, schedule and how to watch live on TV and stream
Who is on pole for the NASCAR Clash at Bowman Gray?
| Pos | Driver (Car No.) | Team (Manufacturer) | Lap Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kyle Larson (5) | Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet) | 14.137 secs |
| 2 | William Byron (24) | Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet) | 14.141 secs |
| 3 | Ty Gibbs (54) | Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) | 14.146 secs |
| 4 | Chase Briscoe (19) | Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) | 14.147 secs |
| 5 | Christopher Bell (20) | Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) | 14.150 secs |
| 6 | Denny Hamlin (11) | Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) | 14.151 secs |
| 7 | Bubba Wallace (23) | 23XI Racing (Toyota) | 14.153 secs |
| 8 | Chris Buescher (17) | Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing (Ford) | 14.167 secs |
| 9 | Ross Chastain (1) | Trackhouse Racing (Chevrolet) | 14.184 secs |
| 10 | Tyler Reddick (45) | 23XI Racing (Toyota) | 14.195 secs |
| 11 | Chase Elliott (9) | Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet) | 14.198 secs |
| 12 | Carson Hocevar (77) | Spire Motorsports (Chevrolet) | 14.204 secs |
| 13 | Kyle Busch (8) | Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet) | 14.209 secs |
| 14 | Joey Logano (22) | Team Penske (Ford) | 14.211 secs |
| 15 | Austin Dillon (3) | Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet) | 14.213 secs |
| 16 | Ryan Blaney (12) | Team Penske (Ford) | 14.215 secs |
| 17 | Shane Van Gisbergen (97) | Trackhouse Racing (Chevrolet) | 14.231 secs |
| 18 | Ryan Preece (60) | RFK Racing (Ford) | 14.234 secs |
| 19 | Connor Zilisch (88) | Trackhouse Racing (Chevrolet) | 14.237 secs |
| 20 | Daniel Suarez (7) | Spire Motorsports (Chevrolet) | 14.242 secs |
| 21 | Josh Berry (21) | Team Penske (Ford) | 14.243 secs |
| 22 | Michael McDowell (71) | Trackhouse Racing (Chevrolet) | 14.245 secs |
| 23 | Austin Cindric (2) | Team Penske (Ford) | 14.263 secs |
| 24 | Corey LaJoie (6) | Team Penske (Ford) | 14.272 secs |
| 25 | Alex Bowman (48) | Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet) | 14.290 secs |
| 26 | Riley Herbst (35) | Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) | 14.299 secs |
| 27 | Cody Ware (51) | Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet) | 14.314 secs |
| 28 | AJ Allmendinger (16) | Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet) | 14.323 secs |
| 29 | Cole Custer (41) | Trackhouse Racing (Chevrolet) | 14.334 secs |
| 30 | John Hunter Nemechek (42) | Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) | 14.351 secs |
| 31 | Todd Gilliland (34) | Team Penske (Ford) | 14.372 secs |
| 32 | Ty Dillon (10) | Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet) | 14.392 secs |
| 33 | Noah Gragson (4) | Team Penske (Ford) | 14.413 secs |
| 34 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (47) | Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet) | 14.448 secs |
| 35 | Zane Smith (38) | Team Penske (Ford) | 14.455 secs |
| 36 | Erik Jones (43) | Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) | 14.493 secs |
| 37 | Chad Finchum (66) | Team Penske (Ford) | 14.515 secs |
| 38 | Burt Myers (50) | Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet) | 15.024 secs |
NASCAR Clash starting lineup
With qualifying complete, here is the confirmed starting lineup for tonight’s Clash.
| Pos | Driver (Car No.) | Team (Manufacturer) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kyle Larson (5) | Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet) |
| 2 | William Byron (24) | Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet) |
| 3 | Ty Gibbs (54) | Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) |
| 4 | Chase Briscoe (19) | Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) |
| 5 | Christopher Bell (20) | Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) |
| 6 | Denny Hamlin (11) | Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) |
| 7 | Bubba Wallace (23) | 23XI Racing (Toyota) |
| 8 | Chris Buescher (17) | Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing (Ford) |
| 9 | Ross Chastain (1) | Trackhouse Racing (Chevrolet) |
| 10 | Tyler Reddick (45) | 23XI Racing (Toyota) |
| 11 | Chase Elliott (9) | Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet) |
| 12 | Carson Hocevar (77) | Spire Motorsports (Chevrolet) |
| 13 | Kyle Busch (8) | Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet) |
| 14 | Joey Logano (22) | Team Penske (Ford) |
| 15 | Austin Dillon (3) | Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet) |
| 16 | Ryan Blaney (12) | Team Penske (Ford) |
| 17 | Shane van Gisbergen (97) | Trackhouse Racing (Chevrolet) |
| 18 | Ryan Preece (60) | RFK Racing (Ford) |
| 19 | Connor Zilisch (88) | Trackhouse Racing (Chevrolet) |
| 20 | Daniel Suárez (7) | Spire Motorsports (Chevrolet) |
| 21 | Josh Berry (21) | Wood Brothers Racing (Ford) |
| 22 | Austin Cindric (2) | Team Penske (Ford) |
| 23 | Alex Bowman (23) | Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet) |
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