NASCAR: Bristol heat race starting lineup – Alex Bowman on pole

Alex Bowman is set to start from the pole position in the third of four heat races to set the starting lineup for the first NASCAR Cup Series dirt race in over 50 years.

Sunday afternoon’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway, the Food City Dirt Race, is slated to be the first Cup Series dirt race in more than 50 years, and the starting lineup for this race is set to be determined by four Saturday heat races.

The starting lineups for those four heat races have been set based on a random draw. The first three heat races are set to see 10 drivers while the fourth is only set to see nine since there are 39 cars on the entry list.

All four of these heat races are slated to last for 15 laps around the four-turn, 0.533-mile (0.858-kilometer) high-banked oval in Bristol, Tennessee ahead of the big 250-lap race on Sunday afternoon.

Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman is set to start from the pole position for the third heat race behind the wheel of his #48 Chevrolet.

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Rick Ware Racing’s J.J. Yeley is set to start alongside him on the front row in second place behind the wheel of his #53 Chevrolet.

Gaunt Brother Racing’s Ty Dillon, Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick and Richard Childress Racing’s Tyler Reddick are set to round out the top five in third, fourth and fifth place in their #96 Toyota, #4 Ford and #8 Chevrolet, respectively. Here is the full starting lineup for the third Food City Dirt Race heat race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Starting Lineup
1st – Alex Bowman
2nd – J.J. Yeley
3rd – Ty Dillon
4th – Kevin Harvick
5th – Tyler Reddick
6th – Cole Custer
7th – Cody Ware
8th – Aric Almirola
9th – Joey Logano
10th – Ryan Preece

Results from the four heat races and “passing points” are set to determine the starting lineup for Sunday’s main event.

The qualifying races for the Food City Dirt Race are set to be broadcast live from Bristol Motor Speedway on Fox Sports 1 on Saturday, March 27 beginning at 6:00 p.m. ET. The main event is set to be broadcast live on Fox beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 28.