NASCAR at Bristol 2016 Qualifying Results: Race Order, Final Times and Reaction

NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series will race under the lights Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway, but the weekend started with Friday's qualifying session, highlighted by Carl Edwards taking the pole position. 

Edwards is no stranger to starting from the lead position at Bristol, as this is the fourth time in his career he's taken the pole at the track. After his most recent pole win at Bristol, Edwards also took the checkered flag at the Food City 500 in April.

Here are the full results from NASCAR's qualifying session for the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race in Bristol, Tennessee:

Position	Driver	Best Time (Seconds)
1	Carl Edwards	14.602
2	Denny Hamlin	14.625
3	Kyle Busch	14.655
4	Ryan Blaney	14.688
5	Matt Kenseth	14.690
6	Chase Elliott	14.777
7	Martin Truex Jr.	14.812
8	A.J. Allmendinger	14.819
9	Brad Keselowski	14.836
10	Joey Logano	14.855
11	Jeff Gordon	14.870
12	Chris Buescher	14.956
Round 2 Cutoff
13	Austin Dillon	14.872
14	Kurt Busch	14.883
15	Ryan Newman	14.913
16	Jimmie Johnson	14.918
17	Aric Almirola	14.918
18	Matt DiBenedetto	14.932
19	Kasey Kahne	14.935
20	Paul Menard	14.935
21	Casey Mears	14.960
22	Trevor Bayne	14.974
23	Kyle Larson	14.991
24	Kevin Harvick	15.057
Round 1 Cutoff
25	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	14.958
26	Michael McDowell	14.975
27	Tony Stewart	15.010
28	Jamie McMurray	15.013
29	Danica Patrick	15.032
30	Brian Scott	15.039
31	Clint Bowyer	15.109
32	Landon Cassill	15.110
33	Regan Smith	15.162
34	Greg Biffle	15.163
35	Cole Whitt	15.291
36	Reed Sorensen	15.306
37	David Ragan	15.331
38	Jeffrey Earnhardt	15.436
39	Michael Annett	15.521
40	Josh Wise	15.694

The competition for the pole was close, with Edwards not moving into the top spot until there were about two minutes left in the final round of qualifying.

NASCAR provided the video evidence of Edwards' move to the top of the standings:

Per Lee Spencer of Motorsport.com, Edwards is not lacking for confidence after winning the pole:

Edwards will be facing stiff competition behind him. Denny Hamlin took second in qualifying, with his best lap speed coming in at 131.2 mph. The No. 11 car is starting to build momentum with the Chase on the horizon.

Hamlin won on the road course at Watkins Glen two weeks ago, his second victory of the season and fourth straight top-10 finish.

Even though Edwards will be starting in the top spot, Hamlin was setting new track records during qualifying, per Joe Gibbs Racing:

Hamlin's track-record time was 14.573 seconds. He didn't keep up that pace throughout qualifying, but it's in his pocket in case he needs to make a major move late in the race Saturday night. 

Another driver who's feeling confident after qualifying is Kyle Busch, who is tied for the Sprint Cup Series lead with four victories this season. He finished right behind Edwards and Hamlin but was impressive during practices earlier in the day.

Per NASCAR's official website, Busch led both practice sessions with speeds of 128.969 mph and 129.684 mph. He's had everything working at Bristol so far this weekend and is showing no signs of slowing down. 

Further down the board, Jeff Gordon had his best qualifying run in four races while filling in for Dale Earnhardt Jr., who is out with a concussion. The No. 88 car will start from the 11th position. Gordon has fared well as a replacement, earning two top-15 finishes. 

Saturday's race will cover 500 laps. Hamlin and Busch should be the favorites based on their results Friday and momentum, but Edwards' success on the track makes him hard to overlook as the pole-sitter.