The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series hits Bristol Motor Speedway for qualifying today, Saturday, April 11, and we’ve got all of the timing, scheduling, and TV information you need ahead of the action.

Single-car qualifying procedures will be in place in Tennessee, with the drivers having just one run out around the 0.533-mile track to establish the starting lineup for Sunday’s Food City 500.

Last year in the spring race at Bristol, Chevrolet dominated the top of the order in qualifying, with Alex Bowman earning pole in the No. 48 ahead of Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and teammate Kyle Larson. Bowman is back in his car this weekend after missing the last four races, and what a fairytale return it would be if he could somehow repeat his 2025 success.

AJ Allmendinger is the man who most recently took a Cup Series pole at Bristol, though, when the sport hit the track for a second time last season in the September playoff race.

It’s certainly going to be exciting to see who comes out on top this time around!

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What time is NASCAR Cup Series qualifying at Bristol?

NASCAR Cup Series qualifying from Bristol Motor Speedway takes place on Saturday, April 11, at 5:40 p.m. ET.

This follows immediately after the one and only Cup Series practice session this weekend, which starts at 4:30 p.m. ET.

Here are the start times converted to your local time zones.

NASCAR Cup Series Bristol practice and qualifying schedule

Charlotte, NC (ET)4:30 P.M.5:40 P.M.
New York, NY (ET)4:30 P.M.5:40 P.M.
Columbia, SC (ET)4:30 P.M.5:40 P.M.
Charleston, WV (ET)4:30 P.M.5:40 P.M.
Augusta, ME (ET)4:30 P.M.5:40 P.M.

Chicago, IL (CT)3:30 P.M.4:40 P.M.
Pierre, SD (CT)3:30 P.M.4:40 P.M.
Nashville, TN (CT)3:30 P.M.4:40 P.M.
Des Moines, IA (CT)3:30 P.M.4:40 P.M.
Montgomery, AL (CT)3:30 P.M.4:40 P.M.

Denver, CO (MT)2:30 P.M.3:40 P.M.
Salt Lake City, UT (MT)2:30 P.M.3:40 P.M.
Albuquerque, NM (MT)2:30 P.M.3:40 P.M.
El Paso, TX (MT)2:30 P.M.3:40 P.M.

Los Angeles, CA (PT)1:30 P.M.2:40 P.M.
Las Vegas, NV (PT)1:30 P.M.2:40 P.M.
Seattle, WA (PT)1:30 P.M.2:40 P.M.
Portland, OR (PT)1:30 P.M.2:40 P.M.
San Francisco, CA (PT)1:30 P.M.2:40 P.M.

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What TV channel is NASCAR Cup Series qualifying on today?

Today’s NASCAR Cup Series qualifying action from Bristol will not be broadcast live on traditional TV. Instead, it will be shown live on Prime Video.

You can download the Prime Video app on your handheld device from the Apple App Store, Google Play Store, and Amazon App Store.

You can also download the app on your TV on devices such as the following:

Roku
Amazon Fire TV
VIZIO Smart TV
LG TV
Chromecast
Android TV
Apple TV
Samsung Smart TV

Today’s qualifying session will also be broadcast live on the radio, with PRN and SiriusXM having the call.

Live stream options

The best live stream option for today’s NASCAR Cup Series qualifying at Bristol is Prime Video.

For the first half of the season through San Diego (June 21), Prime Video is set to air all Cup Series practice and qualifying, with the exception of the Clash, Daytona 500, and All-Star Race.

Qualifying Order

Here is the full list of Cup Series drivers set to take part in this weekend’s event at Bristol, listed in the order in which they will qualify on Saturday.

Cup Series Qualifying Order for Bristol

Qualifying Position
Driver
Car No.
Team (Manufacturer)

1Chad Finchum (i)66Garage 66 (Chevrolet)
2Ty Dillon10Kaulig Racing (Chevrolet)
3Riley Herbst3523XI Racing (Toyota)
4Cody Ware51Rick Ware Racing (Ford)
5Cole Custer41Haas Factory Team (Ford)
6Zane Smith38Front Row Motorsports (Ford)
7Ricky Stenhouse Jr.47HYAK Motorsports (Chevrolet)
8Bubba Wallace2323XI Racing (Toyota)
9Noah Gragson4Front Row Motorsports (Ford)
10Connor Zilisch (#)88Trackhouse Racing (Chevrolet)
11John Hunter Nemechek42Legacy Motor Club (Toyota)
12Alex Bowman48Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
13Austin Dillon3Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet)
14AJ Allmendinger16Kaulig Racing (Chevrolet)
15Todd Gilliland34Front Row Motorsports (Ford)
16Kyle Busch8Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet)
17Erik Jones43Legacy Motor Club (Toyota)
18Daniel Suárez7Spire Motorsports (Chevrolet)
19Michael McDowell71Spire Motorsports (Chevrolet)
20Ross Chastain1Trackhouse Racing (Chevrolet)
21Carson Hocevar77Spire Motorsports (Chevrolet)
22Chris Buescher17RFK Racing (Ford)
23Chase Briscoe19Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
24Josh Berry21Wood Brothers Racing (Ford)
25Ryan Preece60RFK Racing (Ford)
26Shane van Gisbergen97Trackhouse Racing (Chevrolet)
27Brad Keselowski6RFK Racing (Ford)
28Austin Cindric2Team Penske (Ford)
29Tyler Reddick4523XI Racing (Toyota)
30Kyle Larson5Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
31Christopher Bell20Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
32Joey Logano22Team Penske (Ford)
33William Byron24Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
34Ryan Blaney12Team Penske (Ford)
35Ty Gibbs54Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
36Denny Hamlin11Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
37Chase Elliott9Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)

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