Canceled Qualifying Puts Kyle Larson on Pole for Bristol Night Race

Kyle Larson will start Saturday's Bass Pro Shops Night Race in first place after a lightning storm forced officials to cancel Friday's qualifying session at Bristol Motor Speedway. Because no qualifying laps were run, starting positions were set using a special rulebook formula instead of timed speed laps. The race is the third round of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, set for 7:30 p.m. ET on the USA Network.

Larson is only nine points behind the playoff points leader, putting him very close to the top of the standings. He finished fifth in the first playoff race at Darlington Raceway and then won the second race at World Wide Technology Raceway near St. Louis. Those strong results have given Larson and his team a lot of confidence heading into Bristol.

"Always coming into here I feel confident," Larson said. He drives the No. 5 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, one of NASCAR's most successful teams. Larson said he felt his team was starting to perform the way he knows they can, comparing their current form to the best version of themselves.

Larson also praised how well his crew prepared and executed over the first two playoff weeks. He said there is still room to improve before the team reaches its full potential, but the progress has been clear. "As far as team prep, execution and all the things it takes, I felt like these first two weeks have gone really strong," he said.

The front five starting spots all belong to playoff drivers. Joey Logano will start second, right next to Larson in the front row, while Denny Hamlin — the current points leader — lines up third. William Byron starts fourth and Carson Hocevar rounds out the top five.

One interesting storyline involves driver Daniel Suarez, who is expecting his first child very soon. NASCAR has another driver, Justin Allgaier, on standby in case Suarez needs to leave early for the birth. "Hopefully, the baby doesn't come till Sunday or Monday," Suarez said, adding that he hopes it can wait just a little bit longer.