NASCAR Bristol Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race starting grid: Larson leads the way

Kyle Larson will look to sweep the two races he’s in at Bristol this weekend, but he’ll have his hands full with some very fast competition.

It’s fair to say this hasn’t been the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season Kyle Larson or his Chip Ganassi Racing teammates were expecting. A four-time winner in 2017, Larson enters the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race on Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway with zero victories on the year.

He did, however, get one monkey off his back when he won the XFINITY Series race at Bristol on Friday night, so he at least knows the way to the unique elevated Victory Lane now. In more good news, he’ll start Saturday’s race from the pole, and he already has a handle on those all important restarts from the front row, as well as the knack for moving to the top or bottom of the track as needed.

It’s another Kyle who may be his biggest obstacle — as in Kyle Busch, who has won the last two Cup Series races at The Last Great Colosseum. He’s starting third on Saturday, and considering the way he was flying away from the field until he ran into some misfortune on Friday, has to be considered the favorite.

Chase Elliott will start beside Larson in Row 1, with teammate William Byron, perhaps a surprise as the third-fastest Chevy, starting fifth. Paul Menard is in P4 as the fastest qualifier among Ford drivers, but six of the seven drivers between seventh and 12th are also Fords, broken up only by Denny Hamlin’s Toyota starting seventh. Martin Truex Jr. was uncharacteristically a bit slower and will start 17th.

Coverage of the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race begins at 6:30 p.m. ET after NASCAR moved up the start time to try to avoid rain in the forecast for the Bristol area. The green flag is now expected at approximately 6:43 p.m. on NBCSN.

2018 Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race starting grid for Bristol Motor Speedway

1. Kyle Larson – No. 42 DC Solar Chevrolet
2. Chase Elliott – No. 9 Kelley Blue Book Chevrolet
3. Kyle Busch – No. 18 M&M’S White Chocolate Toyota
4. Paul Menard – No. 21 Menards/Knauf Ford
5. William Byron – No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet
6. Kevin Harvick – No. 4 Jimmy John’s Ford
7. Denny Hamlin – No. 11 FedEx Freight Toyota
8. Aric Almirola – No. 10 Smithfield Ford
9. Kurt Busch – No. 41 Monster Energy/Haas Automation Ford
10. Ryan Blaney – No. 12 REV Ford
11. Brad Keselowski – No. 2 Miller Lite Ford
12. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – No. 17 Fastenal Ford
13. Jimmie Johnson – No. 48 Lowe’s for Pros Chevrolet
14. Erik Jones – No. 20 Sport Clips Toyota
15. David Ragan – No. 38 Shriners Hospital for Children Ford
16. Clint Bowyer – No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Cummins Ford
17. Martin Truex Jr. – No. 78 Bass Pro Shops/Ducks Unlimited Toyota
18. Austin Dillon – No. 3 Dow Norkool Chevrolet
19. Joey Logano – No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford
20. Jamie McMurray – No. 1 Cessna/McDonald’s Chevrolet
21. Daniel Suarez – No. 19 Stanley Toyota
22. Alex Bowman – No. 88 Valvoline Chevrolet
23. Trevor Bayne – No. 6 AdvoCare Rehydrate Ford
24. Ryan Newman – No. 31 Bass Pro Shops/Cabela’s Chevrolet
25. AJ Allmendinger – No. 47 Kroger ClickList Chevrolet
26. Kasey Kahne – No. 95 Thorne Wellness Chevrolet
27. Bubba Wallace – No. 43 Medallion Bank/Petty’s Garage Chevrolet
28. Chris Buescher – No. 37 Bush’s Beans Chevrolet
29. Matt DiBenedetto – No. 32 Zynga Poker Ford
30. Corey LaJoie – No. 72 Ark.io Blockchain Solutions Chevrolet
31. Michael McDowell – No. 34 Fastenal Ford
32. Ty Dillon – No. 13 GEICO Chevrolet
33. Jesse Little – No. 96 Gaunt Brothers Racing Toyota
34. JJ Yeley – No. 7 Steakhouse Elite Chevrolet
35. Ross Chastain – No. 15 LowT Center Chevrolet
36. Reed Sorensen – No. 51 Trading View Chevrolet
37. Timmy Hill – No. 66 Beef Jerky Outlet Toyota
38. Gray Gaulding – No. 99 StarCom Fiber Chevrolet
39. Landon Cassill – No. 00 StarCom Fiber Chevrolet
40. Blake Jones – No. 23 KBM Commercial Properties/Planet Fitness Toyota