The NASCAR Cup Series is set to arrive at Bristol Motor Speedway for its eighth race of the 2026 season. It is the first of two dates at Bristol, as NASCAR also goes to the venue in September. In 2025, Alex Bowman won the pole for the spring Cup Series race at Bristol, marking his second and final pole position during the season.
First, the Cup Series needs to qualify for the event in Bristol, and the qualifying format is simple. Every driver will make a two-lap run, with the overall lap times determining the starting lineup. There will only be one round, and the groups do not matter in setting the starting lineup by the inside or outside rows. The metric system determines the qualifying order.
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Below, you can check out the NASCAR qualifying order and groups for the 2026 Food City 500 at Bristol this weekend!
NASCAR Cup Series qualifying order for Bristol (April 2026):
(Qualifying Order)
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No. 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
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No. 42 John Hunter Nemechek
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No. 97 Shane van Gisbergen
More: How to watch NASCAR live at Bristol in April 2026, full schedule
This article originally appeared on Motorsports Wire: NASCAR qualifying order for Cup Series at Bristol in April 2026
