NASCAR at Bristol 2018 Qualifying Results: Kyle Larson Takes Pole Position

Kyle Larson will start ahead of the field during Saturday's Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race under the lights at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee.

Larson was dominant throughout Friday's qualifying run, finishing with the best time in each of the first two rounds before winning the pole at the end. He beat second-place finisher Chase Elliott in the final minutes of the last stage by fractions of a second.

According to Jeff Gluck, the victory marked Larson's third pole of the season and seventh of his career, but it was his first at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Here is a look at the top 12 finishers, per NASCAR.com:

1. Kyle Larson

2. Chase Elliott

3. Kyle Busch

4. Paul Menard

5. William Byron

6. Kevin Harvick

7. Denny Hamlin

8. Aric Almirola

9. Kurt Busch

10. Ryan Blaney

11. Brad Keselowski

12. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

The top 24 drivers advanced to the second round, while those 12 made it to the finals. Five minutes were put on the clock in the last round, and Larson posted the best time.

Larson set the pace from the early going, winning each of the initial two rounds as well. Kasey Kahne and Bubba Wallace were among those who missed the first cut, while some of the sport's biggest names didn't reach the last round with Jimmie Johnson, Martin Truex Jr. and Joey Logano all ducking out in the cut from 24 to 12.

The second round was notable because there wasn't a single car on the track until there were less than four minutes remaining.

It was a crowded sprint for positioning from there, but even that didn't stop Larson from handling the rest of the field.

Despite Larson's impressive day, it appeared as if Elliott would win the pole when he was the provisional leader with two minutes remaining in the last round. That's when the No. 42 car jumped to the narrow lead with a minute remaining and maintained his position.

Attention now turns to Saturday's race with the playoffs looming. There are only three races remaining until the postseason with eight of the initial 16 spots still up for grabs.

Matthew Mayer of CBS Sports noted Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, Truex, Clint Bowyer, Logano, Erik Jones, Elliott and Austin Dillon have all clinched their spots in the round of 16, meaning the pressure will be on the other drivers to pick up critical points in the standings with an impressive showing at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Larson was the best on the track Friday, but the qualifying won't count for much if he is unable to parlay the performance into a formidable showing under the lights.