![\"William](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2270897597-e1775938660464.jpg\")
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
William Sawalich celebrates after winning the pole for the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 11, 2026.<\/p>\n
Qualifying at Bristol Motor Speedway<\/a> delivered exactly what a short-track session should \u2014 fast laps, razor-thin margins, and a surprise name at the top of the board.<\/p>\n It was William Sawalich who stole the spotlight, turning a 15.634-second lap (122.733 mph) to earn the pole for Saturday night\u2019s NASCAR O\u2019Reilly Series race<\/a>.<\/p>\n For Sawalich, a rising prospect in the Joe Gibbs Racing pipeline, the result marks a significant moment \u2014 beating a field stacked with proven veterans and Cup-level talent on one of NASCAR\u2019s most demanding tracks.<\/p>\n Front Row Separated by Inches<\/p>\n The gap between first and second was nearly nothing.<\/p>\n Sheldon Creed will start alongside Sawalich<\/a> after posting a 15.676, just 0.042 seconds off the pole, while Kyle Larson \u2014 a former Bristol winner and one of the sport\u2019s premier short-track drivers \u2014 qualified third at 15.709.<\/p>\n All three drivers showed immediate speed in the single-lap qualifying format, where precision and commitment matter as much as outright pace.<\/p>\n A Packed Top 10 Sets the Stage<\/p>\n Behind the front row, the field remained tightly grouped \u2014 a hallmark of Bristol qualifying where small mistakes carry big consequences.<\/p>\n Brandon Jones<\/a> secured the fourth spot with a 15.757, followed closely by Sam Mayer in fifth at 15.769.<\/p>\n Taylor Gray will roll off sixth, while veteran Justin Allgaier \u2014 a perennial contender at Bristol \u2014 starts seventh after a 15.802.<\/p>\n Rounding out the top 10:<\/p>\n Carson Kvapil (8th, 15.816) From first to 10th, the spread was less than two-tenths of a second \u2014 a clear signal that track position will be critical once the race begins.<\/p>\n Why the Pole Matters at Bristol<\/p>\n Track position at Bristol isn\u2019t just helpful \u2014 it\u2019s often decisive.<\/p>\n The half-mile layout creates constant traffic, limited passing lanes, and a premium on clean air, especially in the opening stages. Starting up front allows drivers to control the pace and avoid early chaos deeper in the field.<\/p>\n That said, the drivers immediately behind Sawalich present a serious challenge. Larson\u2019s ability to navigate traffic and Allgaier\u2019s long-run consistency mean the pole sitter will have little room for error once the green flag drops.<\/p>\n What to Watch Tonight<\/p>\n Sawalich\u2019s control up front: Can he manage the race from the pole against more experienced drivers?<\/p>\n Larson\u2019s early push: Starting third puts him in position to attack quickly The NASCAR O\u2019Reilly Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway is scheduled for<\/a>:<\/p>\n Start Time: 7:30 p.m. ET With a tightly packed starting lineup and Bristol\u2019s trademark intensity, expect a fast, physical race where track position \u2014 and patience \u2014 will be tested from the opening laps.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMaggie MacKenzie<\/a> Maggie MacKenzie covers NASCAR for Heavy.com. She previously worked for NASCAR.com, where she reported, wrote, and edited race-weekend coverage and traveled to key events throughout the season. She has more than ten years of experience in sports media and is based in Boston, Massachusetts. More about Maggie MacKenzie<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMore Heavy on NASCAR\n\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty William Sawalich celebrates after winning the pole for the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":597852,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[446],"tags":[49,48,634,82],"class_list":["post-597851","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nascar","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-nascar","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/597851","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=597851"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/597851\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/597852"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=597851"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=597851"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=597851"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nParker Retzlaff (9th, 15.829)
\nBrennan Poole (10th, 15.830)<\/p>\n
\nTight field dynamics: With minimal separation, restarts and lap traffic could reshape the race in a hurry
\nHow to Watch Tonight\u2019s Race<\/p>\n
\nTV: The CW
\nRadio: Performance Racing Network, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio<\/p>\n