The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series hits Bristol Motor Speedway for qualifying today, Saturday, April 11, and we've got all of the timing, scheduling, and TV information you need ahead of the action.
Single-car qualifying procedures will be in place in Tennessee, with the drivers having just one run out around the 0.533-mile track to establish the starting lineup for Sunday's Food City 500.
READ MORE: Bowman had "dizziness" and was "throwing up" on himself during Cup race
Last year in the spring race at Bristol, Chevrolet dominated the top of the order in qualifying, with Alex Bowman earning pole in the No. 48 ahead of Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and teammate Kyle Larson. Bowman is back in his car this weekend after missing the last four races, and what a fairytale return it would be if he could somehow repeat his 2025 success.
AJ Allmendinger is the man who most recently took a Cup Series pole at Bristol, though, when the sport hit the track for a second time last season in the September playoff race.
It's certainly going to be exciting to see who comes out on top this time around!
NASCAR QUALIFYING RESULTS: Ryan Blaney snatches Cup Series pole at Bristol as Tyler Reddick denied
What time is NASCAR Cup Series qualifying at Bristol?
NASCAR Cup Series qualifying from Bristol Motor Speedway takes place on Saturday, April 11, at 5:40 p.m. ET.
This follows immediately after the one and only Cup Series practice session this weekend, which starts at 4:30 p.m. ET.
Here are the start times converted to your local time zones.
| City (Time Zone) | Practice Start Time | Qualifying Start Time |
|---|---|---|
| Charlotte, NC (ET) | 4:30 P.M. | 5:40 P.M. |
| New York, NY (ET) | 4:30 P.M. | 5:40 P.M. |
| Columbia, SC (ET) | 4:30 P.M. | 5:40 P.M. |
| Charleston, WV (ET) | 4:30 P.M. | 5:40 P.M. |
| Augusta, ME (ET) | 4:30 P.M. | 5:40 P.M. |
| Chicago, IL (CT) | 3:30 P.M. | 4:40 P.M. |
| Pierre, SD (CT) | 3:30 P.M. | 4:40 P.M. |
| Nashville, TN (CT) | 3:30 P.M. | 4:40 P.M. |
| Des Moines, IA (CT) | 3:30 P.M. | 4:40 P.M. |
| Montgomery, AL (CT) | 3:30 P.M. | 4:40 P.M. |
| Denver, CO (MT) | 2:30 P.M. | 3:40 P.M. |
| Salt Lake City, UT (MT) | 2:30 P.M. | 3:40 P.M. |
| Albuquerque, NM (MT) | 2:30 P.M. | 3:40 P.M. |
| El Paso, TX (MT) | 2:30 P.M. | 3:40 P.M. |
| Los Angeles, CA (PT) | 1:30 P.M. | 2:40 P.M. |
| Las Vegas, NV (PT) | 1:30 P.M. | 2:40 P.M. |
| Seattle, WA (PT) | 1:30 P.M. | 2:40 P.M. |
| Portland, OR (PT) | 1:30 P.M. | 2:40 P.M. |
| San Francisco, CA (PT) | 1:30 P.M. | 2:40 P.M. |
READ MORE: NASCAR Odds: Bristol favorites and long shots for Cup Series race this weekend
What TV channel is NASCAR Cup Series qualifying on today?
Today's NASCAR Cup Series qualifying action from Bristol will not be broadcast live on traditional TV. Instead, it will be shown live on Prime Video.
You can download the Prime Video app on your handheld device from the Apple App Store, Google Play Store, and Amazon App Store.
You can also download the app on your TV on devices such as the following:
- Roku
- Amazon Fire TV
- VIZIO Smart TV
- LG TV
- Chromecast
- Android TV
- Apple TV
- Samsung Smart TV
Today's qualifying session will also be broadcast live on the radio, with PRN and SiriusXM having the call.
Live stream options
The best live stream option for today's NASCAR Cup Series qualifying at Bristol is Prime Video.
For the first half of the season through San Diego (June 21), Prime Video is set to air all Cup Series practice and qualifying, with the exception of the Clash, Daytona 500, and All-Star Race.
Qualifying Order
Here is the full list of Cup Series drivers set to take part in this weekend's event at Bristol, listed in the order in which they will qualify on Saturday.
| Qualifying Position | Driver | Car No. | Team (Manufacturer) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chad Finchum (i) | 66 | Garage 66 (Chevrolet) |
| 2 | Ty Dillon | 10 | Kaulig Racing (Chevrolet) |
| 3 | Riley Herbst | 35 | 23XI Racing (Toyota) |
| 4 | Cody Ware | 51 | Rick Ware Racing (Ford) |
| 5 | Cole Custer | 41 | Haas Factory Team (Ford) |
| 6 | Zane Smith | 38 | Front Row Motorsports (Ford) |
| 7 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 47 | HYAK Motorsports (Chevrolet) |
| 8 | Bubba Wallace | 23 | 23XI Racing (Toyota) |
| 9 | Noah Gragson | 4 | Front Row Motorsports (Ford) |
| 10 | Connor Zilisch (#) | 88 | Trackhouse Racing (Chevrolet) |
| 11 | John Hunter Nemechek | 42 | Legacy Motor Club (Toyota) |
| 12 | Alex Bowman | 48 | Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet) |
| 13 | Austin Dillon | 3 | Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet) |
| 14 | AJ Allmendinger | 16 | Kaulig Racing (Chevrolet) |
| 15 | Todd Gilliland | 34 | Front Row Motorsports (Ford) |
| 16 | Kyle Busch | 8 | Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet) |
| 17 | Erik Jones | 43 | Legacy Motor Club (Toyota) |
| 18 | Daniel Suárez | 7 | Spire Motorsports (Chevrolet) |
| 19 | Michael McDowell | 71 | Spire Motorsports (Chevrolet) |
| 20 | Ross Chastain | 1 | Trackhouse Racing (Chevrolet) |
| 21 | Carson Hocevar | 77 | Spire Motorsports (Chevrolet) |
| 22 | Chris Buescher | 17 | RFK Racing (Ford) |
| 23 | Chase Briscoe | 19 | Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) |
| 24 | Josh Berry | 21 | Wood Brothers Racing (Ford) |
| 25 | Ryan Preece | 60 | RFK Racing (Ford) |
| 26 | Shane van Gisbergen | 97 | Trackhouse Racing (Chevrolet) |
| 27 | Brad Keselowski | 6 | RFK Racing (Ford) |
| 28 | Austin Cindric | 2 | Team Penske (Ford) |
| 29 | Tyler Reddick | 45 | 23XI Racing (Toyota) |
| 30 | Kyle Larson | 5 | Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet) |
| 31 | Christopher Bell | 20 | Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) |
| 32 | Joey Logano | 22 | Team Penske (Ford) |
| 33 | William Byron | 24 | Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet) |
| 34 | Ryan Blaney | 12 | Team Penske (Ford) |
| 35 | Ty Gibbs | 54 | Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) |
| 36 | Denny Hamlin | 11 | Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) |
| 37 | Chase Elliott | 9 | Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet) |
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