Kyle Larson claims Busch Light Pole at Bristol Dirt Race; see full heat race results, lineup
NASCAR Cup Series drivers take to the dirt this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway for an Easter race that is unlike any other on the Cup Series schedule — but also one in which the qualifying process is similar to thousands of dirt tracks across the country.
The 37 drivers on the entry list locked in their starting position at Bristol via a series of heat races Saturday before the green flag for the main event on Sunday night (7 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson claimed the Busch Light Pole once the dust settled. He won Heat 3, and his drive from sixth place to first place netted him five additional passing points.
Passing points? Read on below to see how the field was set.
RELATED: Photos from Bristol Dirt weekend
Saturday’s qualifying consisted of four heat races, each being 15 laps. During the heat races, drivers accumulated points for both finishing and passing. First place earned 10 points, second gets nine and so on down to one point for 10th — it‘s the same way stage points are determined during a regulation race.
In addition to finishing points, drivers gained one point for each car passed from their original starting position. For example, Larson started sixth and finished first and received five points, in addition to the 10 points he received for finishing first place.
Drivers who finished where they started or ultimately lose spots on the grid got zero passing points. There are no deductions for drivers who finish below where they started.
Point totals from all four heat races determined the field‘s starting lineup for the main event.
Joining Larson on the front row is Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon in the No. 3 Chevrolet. Like Larson, Dillon charged through Heat 1 to win — he started fifth.
J.J. Yeley is starting third for Rick Ware Racing, with Christopher Bell and Kyle Busch making up the top five.
Qualifying Heat Race No. 1: Results
Finishing spot | Driver | Finishing points | Passing points |
1 | Austin Dillon | 10 | 4 |
2 | Tyler Reddick | 9 | 4 |
3 | Christopher Bell | 8 | 5 |
4 | Alex Bowman | 7 | |
5 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 6 | |
6 | Justin Haley | 5 | |
7 | Ross Chastain | 4 | 3 |
8 | Josh Berry | 3 | |
9 | Brad Keselowski | 2 | |
10 | B.J. McLeod | 1 |
Qualifying Heat Race No. 2: Results
Finishing spot | Driver | Finishing points | Passing points |
1 | Ryan Blaney | 10 | |
2 | Chase Briscoe | 9 | |
3 | William Byron | 8 | 2 |
4 | Harrison Burton | 7 | |
5 | Aric Almirola | 6 | 1 |
6 | Todd Gilliland | 5 | 3 |
7 | AJ Allmendinger | 4 | |
8 | Denny Hamlin | 3 | |
9 | Noah Gragson | 2 |
Qualifying Heat Race No. 3: Results
Finishing Spot | Driver | Finishing points | Passing points |
1 | Kyle Larson | 10 | 5 |
2 | Ryan Preece | 9 | 3 |
3 | J.J. Yeley | 8 | 6 |
4 | Erik Jones | 7 | |
5 | Michael McDowell | 6 | 3 |
6 | Matt Crafton | 5 | |
7 | Chris Buescher | 4 | |
8 | Ty Dillon | 3 | |
9 | Corey LaJoie | 2 |
Qualifying Heat Race No. 4: Results
Finishing Spot | Driver | Finishing points | Passing points |
1 | Bubba Wallace | 10 | |
2 | Kyle Busch | 9 | 4 |
3 | Austin Cindric | 8 | 4 |
4 | Jonathan Davenport | 7 | |
5 | Joey Logano | 6 | 3 |
6 | Ty Gibbs | 5 | |
7 | Martin Truex Jr. | 4 | |
8 | Kevin Harvick | 3 | 1 |
9 | Daniel Suárez | 2 |
PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP FOR FOOD CITY DIRT 500 (Sunday, 7 p.m. ET, FOX)
Starting Spot | Driver | Qualifying points |
1. | Kyle Larson | 15 |
2. | Austin Dillon | 14 |
3. | J.J. Yeley | 14 |
4. | Christopher Bell | 13 |
5. | Kyle Busch | 13 |
6. | Tyler Reddick | 13 |
7. | Austin Cindric | 12 |
8. | Ryan Preece | 12 |
9. | Ryan Blaney | 10 |
10. | William Byron | 10 |
11. | Bubba Wallace | 10 |
12. | Joey Logano | 9 |
13. | Michael McDowell | 9 |
14. | Chase Briscoe | 9 |
15. | Todd Gilliland | 8 |
16. | Ross Chastain | 7 |
17. | Alex Bowman | 7 |
18. | Erik Jones | 7 |
19. | Aric Almirola | 7 |
20 | Harrison Burton | 7 |
21. | Jonathan Davenport | 7 |
22. | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 6 |
23. | Ty Gibbs | 5 |
24. | Matt Crafton | 5 |
25. | Justin Haley | 5 |
26. | Kevin Harvick | 4 |
27. | Martin Truex Jr. | 4 |
28. | Chris Buescher | 4 |
29. | AJ Allmendinger | 4 |
30. | Denny Hamlin | 3 |
31. | Josh Berry | 3 |
32. | Ty Dillon | 3 |
33. | Brad Keselowski | 2 |
34. | Daniel Suárez | 2 |
35. | Corey LaJoie | 2 |
36. | Noah Gragson | 2 |
37. | B.J. McLeod | 1 |
