Erik Jones picked up his first career pole in qualifying for the Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday night..
Jones was first with a speed of 128.082 mph, placing Kyle Larson in the second qualifying position with Hendrick Motorsports driver Kasey Kahne third, teammate Chase Elliott in fourth and Joe Gibbs Racing driver Matt Kenseth rounding out the top five.
Qualifying was a surprise and disappointment for several teams as Dale Earnhardt, Jr. did not qualify in the top tier of the elimination rounds and relegated to a 31st starting spot in his last Bristol night race. Kyle Busch was looking for a triple sweep on the weekend when it came to the pole but was knocked out of contention in the second round of qualifying and forced to start 18th on Saturday night.
Erik Jones’ teammate and current Cup points leader Martin Truex Jr. qualified sixth, with Denny Hamlin in seventh, Joey Logano in eighth, Clint Bowyer in ninth and Ryan Blaney rounding out the top-10. Other notables included Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. qualifying 14th, Chris Buescher 15th, and Trevor Bayne rounding out the top 20.
The green flag drops on the Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday night at 7:30 PM.
Story by Rod Mullins/Augusta Free Press
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