NASCAR Food City Dirt Race at Bristol Motor Speedway - Full Qualifying Results
| 2023 Bristol Food City Dirt Race - Qualifying Results | |||
| Pos | Driver | Team | Manufacturer |
| 1 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 2 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 3 | JJ Yeley | Rick Ware Racing | Ford |
| 4 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 5 | Kyle Busch | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 6 | Tyler Reddick | 23XI Racing | Toyota |
| 7 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford |
| 8 | Ryan Preece | Stewart Haas Racing | Ford |
| 9 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford |
| 10 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 11 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota |
| 12 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford |
| 13 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 14 | Chase Briscoe | Stewart Haas Racing | Ford |
| 15 | Todd Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 16 | Ross Chastain | TrackHouse Racing | Chevrolet |
| 17 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 18 | Erik Jones | Legacy Motor Club | Chevrolet |
| 19 | Aric Almirola | Stewart Haas Racing | Ford |
| 20 | Harrison Burton | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford |
| 21 | Jonathan Davenport | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet |
| 22 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet |
| 23 | Ty Gibbs | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 24 | Matt Crafton | Rick Ware Racing | Ford |
| 25 | Justin Haley | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet |
| 26 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart Haas Racing | Ford |
| 27 | Martin Truex Jr | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 28 | Chris Buescher | RFK Racing | Ford |
| 29 | AJ Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet |
| 30 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 31 | Josh Berry | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 32 | Ty Dillon | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 33 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing | Ford |
| 34 | Daniel Suarez | TrackHouse Racing | Chevrolet |
| 35 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 36 | Noah Gragson | Legacy Motor Club | Chevrolet |
| 37 | BJ McLeod | Live Fast Motorsports | Chevrolet |
Qualifying for the Bristol Dirt race is much different than any other race weekend. Four Heat races help determine the starting lineup for tomorrow night's race. Drivers are rewarded bonus points for on-track passes during the Heat races, and the final tally slots them into their starting position for the main event. Austin Dillon, Ryan Blaney, Kyle Larson, and Bubba Wallace won their respective Heat races on Saturday night.
When the dust settled, it was Larson that earned pole position for Sunday. Larson started 6th in his Heat race, but stormed to the lead on the opening lap and never looked back. “The outside lane launched really well, and my car turned well enough to stay rotated and get by him,” said the 2021 Cup champion. Dillon will start alongside the dominant dirt racer under the lights at Bristol.
Row 2 features a pair of dirt aces as well, in JJ Yeley and Christopher Bell. Row 3 starters include defending race winner Kyle Busch, and the previous driver in that No. 8 Chevrolet, Tyler Reddick. Rounding out the top-ten starters are Austin Cindric, Ryan Preece, Blaney, and William Byron.
Practice was canceled on Friday as heavy rain moved into the Tennessee area. There are 37 entries this weekend with dirt specialist Jonathan Davenport making his Cup debut with Kaulig Racing, where he will start 21st. Matt Crafton is also making a surprise appearance tomorrow, as Cody Ware is missing the race due to personal reasons. Josh Berry continues to pilot the No. 9 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, after his runner-up finish last weekend at Richmond.
Several drivers will have to work their way through the field tomorrow night. Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr, Chris Buescher, Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, and Daniel Suarez are all starting outside of the top 25. Not everyone in the garage area loves this event, but the series has committed to it for another year.
Previous Bristol Dirt winners
2022: Kyle Busch
2021: Joey Logano
