Alex Bowman Leads Hendrick 1-2-3 in NASCAR Cup Qualifying at Bristol

Bowman Earns Third Pole of 2023

Hendrick Motorsports Dominates Qualifying Session

Alex Bowman captured his third NASCAR Cup Series pole of the 2023 season on Friday evening at Bristol Motor Speedway. Bowman, driving the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, turned a lap of 14.966 seconds (120.281 mph) to earn the top starting spot for Sunday's Food City Dirt Race.

Bowman's Hendrick Motorsports teammates Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson qualified second and third, respectively. Elliott, the reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion, was just 0.011 seconds behind Bowman with a lap of 14.977 seconds (120.239 mph). Larson, the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion, was third with a lap of 14.983 seconds (120.218 mph).

Hendrick Motorsports' dominance in qualifying continued with William Byron qualifying fourth and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. qualifying sixth. The only non-Hendrick Motorsports driver in the top five was Ryan Blaney of Team Penske, who qualified fifth.

Bowman's pole-winning run was his third of the season, following previous poles at Auto Club Speedway and Atlanta Motor Speedway. He is now tied with Elliott and Larson for the most poles in the NASCAR Cup Series this season.

Bowman is seeking his first win of the 2023 season and his first career victory at Bristol Motor Speedway. He has four top-10 finishes in nine career starts at Bristol, including a runner-up finish in the 2020 Food City Dirt Race.