Joe Gibbs Racing swept the top-three positions in Sprint Cup qualifying Friday, leaving no doubt which team is the favorite to win Saturday night’s NASCAR race at Bristol Motor Speedway.
NASCAR Bristol 2016 qualifying results: Carl Edwards wins pole, Joe Gibbs Racing goes 1-2-3
Teammates Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch led the way in qualifying for Saturday night’s NASCAR race.
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Carl Edwards’ lap of 131.407 mph was just enough to edge Denny Hamlin (131.200 mph) and Kyle Busch (130.931 mph) for his second straight Bristol pole. Edwards won in April at the half-mile Tennessee track from the No. 1 position, a race JGR dominated. He has a series-best five pole on the season.
Hamlin had been fastest in the first two rounds of qualifying on Friday, even breaking his own track-record in Round 1 with a 131.668 mph lap. But in the decisive third session, he was unable to better Edwards’ time.
Ryan Blaney of Wood Brothers Racing qualified fourth, with JGR’s other driver, Matt Kenseth, starting fifth. Chase Elliott, Martin Truex Jr., AJ Allmendinger, Brad Keselowski, and Joey Logano completed the top 10. Logano won the past two August Bristol races.
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