The race was held at Bristol Motor Speedway, which is a NASCARshort track venue located in Bristol, Tennessee. Constructed in 1960, it held its first NASCAR race on July 30, 1961. Bristol is among the most popular tracks on the NASCAR schedule because of its distinct features, which include extraordinarily steep banking, an all-concrete surface, two pit roads, and stadium-like seating. It has also been named one of the loudest NASCAR tracks. The track is billed as the "World's Fastest Half-Mile", even though that designation technically belongs to the Volusia Speedway Park dirt track.
Entry list
(R) denotes rookie driver.
(i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
The first 55-minute practice session was held on Thursday, August 17, at 1:00 PM EST.[2]Justin Allgaier, driving for JR Motorsports, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 15.306 and an average speed of 125.363 mph (201.752 km/h).[3]
The final 55-minute practice session was held on Thursday, August 17, at 3:00 PM CST.[2]Kyle Busch, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 15.435 and an average speed of 124.315 mph (200.066 km/h).[4]
Qualifying was held on Friday, August 18, at 3:40 PM EST.[2] Since Bristol Motor Speedway is under 2 miles (3.2 km), the qualifying system was a multi-car system that included three rounds. The first round was 15 minutes, where every driver would be able to set a lap within the 15 minutes. Then, the second round would consist of the fastest 24 cars in Round 1, and drivers would have 10 minutes to set a lap. Round 3 consisted of the fastest 12 drivers from Round 2, and the drivers would have 5 minutes to set a time. Whoever was fastest in Round 3 would win the pole.[5]
Due to a delayed start because of inclement weather, qualifying would only be one 20-minute session. Kyle Busch, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would win the pole, with a lap of 15.090 and an average speed of 127.157 mph (204.639 km/h).[6]
