Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Tops NASCAR Cup Practice at Bristol

Stenhouse Jr. leads Gragson, Cindric, Jones, and Wallace in final tune-up before Sunday's race.

Apr. 11, 2026 at 9:53pm

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A fractured, geometric painting depicting the chaotic action of a NASCAR race at Bristol Motor Speedway, with cars and the track broken down into sharp, overlapping planes of color and form.A cubist interpretation of the intense short-track racing that defines NASCAR's visit to Bristol Motor Speedway.Knoxville Today

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. set the fastest lap in NASCAR Cup Series practice at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday, topping Noah Gragson, Austin Cindric, Erik Jones, and Bubba Wallace in the final tune-up before Sunday's Food City 500.

Why it matters

Bristol is one of the most iconic short tracks on the NASCAR circuit, known for its high-intensity racing and unpredictable outcomes. Strong practice results can provide valuable momentum heading into the race, as drivers and teams look to fine-tune their setups and strategies.

The details

Stenhouse Jr.'s fastest lap of 15.403 seconds around the half-mile oval was the quickest of the session. Gragson, Cindric, Jones, and Wallace rounded out the top five, while Michael McDowell, Connor Zilisch, Ty Gibbs, AJ Allmendinger, and Kyle Larson completed the top 10.

  • NASCAR Cup Series practice took place on Saturday afternoon at Bristol Motor Speedway.

The players

Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

A NASCAR Cup Series driver who topped the speed charts in Saturday's practice session at Bristol.

Noah Gragson

A NASCAR Cup Series driver who posted the second-fastest lap in Saturday's practice at Bristol.

Austin Cindric

A NASCAR Cup Series driver who was third-fastest in Saturday's practice at Bristol.

Erik Jones

A NASCAR Cup Series driver who recorded the fourth-fastest lap in Saturday's practice at Bristol.

Bubba Wallace

A NASCAR Cup Series driver who rounded out the top five in Saturday's practice at Bristol.

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What they’re saying

“We've been working hard to get our car dialed in for the race, and it's great to see the results pay off in practice. Now we just need to keep that momentum going on Sunday.”

— Ricky Stenhouse Jr., NASCAR Cup Series Driver

What’s next

NASCAR Cup Series qualifying is next on Prime Video, setting the starting order for Sunday's Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

The takeaway

With strong practice results, drivers like Stenhouse Jr. and Gragson have positioned themselves as potential contenders for Sunday's race at the iconic Bristol short track, where anything can happen in the high-intensity NASCAR Cup Series action.