It goes without saying that Kyle Larson is going to be the favourite whenever he enters a race on dirt, and he continued to prove that in Saturday’s NASCAR Cup Series heat races to set the starting order for the next day’s Food City Dirt Race at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Assigned to the third heat, Larson started sixth but took the lead from pole sitter Erik Jones after just one lap and never looked back. By passing five cars, he earned fifteen total points (one point for each position gained from where a driver started plus ten points for winning), more than anyone else in the field.
Due to the passsing points caveat, which is only present for dirt races, simply winning a heat will not guarantee starting up front. For example, Bubba Wallace claimed Heat #4 but could only earn ten points at most as he started on the pole, meaning he could not improve from his starting position, and therefore will start the Dirt Race in eleventh.
On the other hand, J.J. Yeley impressed by finishing third in Heat #3 (eight points) and passing six cars for fourteen. His third-place starting spot is the first time he qualified in the top five for a Cup race since he started fourth at Phoenix in 2007. It is also Rick Ware Racing’s best starting spot since Joey Hand’s ninth at the 2022 Road America event.
“We obviously didn’t know what to expect. I tried to roll the bottom on our first two little hot laps, just judging off the previous heat race, the car didn’t feel very good,” said Yeley, a dirt track ace before entering NASCAR. “I’m a dirt guy by nature and I knew all of those guys were gonna fight for the bottom, so I said, ‘The heck with it, I was gonna go to the top’ and the car handled really, really good up there.
“It took me a couple of laps to get into a rhythm. It felt like I might have been just a little bit better than the leaders once we got into third, and then I started overdriving and it just takes one little mistake to give up everything that you gained. To come from the back and finish third, I think it’ll be good for points and put us somewhere near the front half, which I’m thinking anything can happen here tomorrow.”
His Rick Ware Racing partner Matt Crafton will start twenty-fourth in relief of Cody Ware.
The lone incident of the four heats was Josh Berry‘s spin in the first on lap seven.
Heat results
Heat #1
| Finish | Start | Number | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Status |
| 1 | 5 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 15 | Running |
| 2 | 6 | 45 | Tyler Reddick | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 15 | Running |
| 3 | 8 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 15 | Running |
| 4 | 2 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15 | Running |
| 5 | 1 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 15 | Running |
| 6 | 4 | 31 | Justin Haley | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 15 | Running |
| 7 | 10 | 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet | 15 | Running |
| 8 | 7 | 9 | Josh Berry* | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15 | Running |
| 9 | 9 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing | Ford | 15 | Running |
| 10 | 3 | 78 | B.J. McLeod | Live Fast Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15 | Running |
* – Ineligible for points
Heat #2
| Finish | Start | Number | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Status |
| 1 | 1 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 15 | Running |
| 2 | 2 | 14 | Chase Briscoe | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 15 | Running |
| 3 | 5 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15 | Running |
| 4 | 4 | 21 | Harrison Burton | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 15 | Running |
| 5 | 6 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 15 | Running |
| 6 | 9 | 38 | Todd Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 15 | Running |
| 7 | 3 | 16 | A.J. Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 15 | Running |
| 8 | 8 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 15 | Running |
| 9 | 7 | 42 | Noah Gragson | Legacy Motor Club | Chevrolet | 15 | Running |
Heat #3
| Finish | Start | Number | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Status |
| 1 | 6 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15 | Running |
| 2 | 5 | 41 | Ryan Preece | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 15 | Running |
| 3 | 9 | 15 | J.J. Yeley* | RIck Ware Racing | Ford | 15 | Running |
| 4 | 1 | 43 | Erik Jones | Legacy Motor Club | Chevrolet | 15 | Running |
| 5 | 8 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 15 | Running |
| 6 | 4 | 51 | Matt Crafton* | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 15 | Running |
| 7 | 7 | 17 | Chris Buescher | RFK Racing | Ford | 15 | Running |
| 8 | 3 | 77 | Ty Dillon | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15 | Running |
| 9 | 2 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15 | Running |
Heat #4
| Finish | Start | Number | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Status |
| 1 | 1 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 15 | Running |
| 2 | 6 | 8 | Kyle Busch | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 15 | Running |
| 3 | 7 | 2 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 15 | Running |
| 4 | 2 | 13 | Jonathan Davenport | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 15 | Running |
| 5 | 8 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 15 | Running |
| 6 | 4 | 54 | Ty Gibbs | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 15 | Running |
| 7 | 5 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 15 | Running |
| 8 | 9 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 15 | Running |
| 9 | 3 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet | 15 | Running |
Starting lineup
| Position | Number | Driver | Total Points |
| 1 | 5 | Kyle Larson | 15 |
| 2 | 3 | Austin Dillon | 14 |
| 3 | 15 | J.J. Yeley* | 14 |
| 4 | 20 | Christopher Bell | 13 |
| 5 | 8 | Kyle Busch | 13 |
| 6 | 45 | Tyler Reddick | 13 |
| 7 | 2 | Austin Cindric | 11 |
| 8 | 41 | Ryan Preece | 12 |
| 9 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | 10 |
| 10 | 24 | William Byron | 10 |
| 11 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 10 |
| 12 | 22 | Joey Logano | 9 |
| 13 | 34 | Michael McDowell | 9 |
| 14 | 14 | Chase Briscoe | 9 |
| 15 | 38 | Todd Gilliland | 8 |
| 16 | 1 | Ross Chastain | 7 |
| 17 | 48 | Alex Bowman | 7 |
| 18 | 43 | Erik Jones | 7 |
| 19 | 10 | Aric Almirola | 7 |
| 20 | 21 | Harrison Burton | 7 |
| 21 | 13 | Jonathan Davenport | 7 |
| 22 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 6 |
| 23 | 54 | Ty Gibbs # | 5 |
| 24 | 51 | Matt Crafton* | 5 |
| 25 | 31 | Justin Haley | 5 |
| 26 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | 4 |
| 27 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | 4 |
| 28 | 17 | Chris Buescher | 4 |
| 29 | 16 | AJ Allmendinger | 4 |
| 30 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | 3 |
| 31 | 9 | Josh Berry* | 3 |
| 32 | 77 | Ty Dillon | 3 |
| 33 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | 2 |
| 34 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | 2 |
| 35 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | 2 |
| 36 | 42 | Noah Gragson # | 2 |
| 37 | 78 | B.J. McLeod | 1 |