Coverage of Qualifying for the Food City 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway is scheduled for Friday, March 16, 2012 at 3:40pm/et.
TV: SPEED - 3:30pm/et
Qualifying Re-Air: on SPEED at 8:00pm/et

2011 March Pole Sitter: #99-Carl Edwards, 124.014, finished 2nd

2011 August Pole Sitter: #39-Ryan Newman, 122.811mph, finished 8th

Track Qualifying Record: #12-Ryan Newman, March 2003, 128.709mph, 14.908 secs

Oldest Pole Winner: Harry Gant, 54 years, 7 months, 17 days, 8/27/1994

Youngest Pole Winner: Joey Logano, 19 years, 9 months, 23 days, 3/19/2010

Fastest First Practice Speed: #99-Edwards, 123.921mph, scheduled to qualify 45th out of 45 drivers

NOTE: not doing semi-live qualifying anymore. With NASCAR.com and FoxSports having realtime qualifying and hits for my qualifying pages way down due to the availabilty of the real-time qualifying found elsewhere.
Will still post Jayski.com's unique qualifying results here, to help explain how drivers made the race.
For Realtime qualifying, check out:
NASCAR.com and FoxSports

Biffle wins pole at Bristol: #16-Greg Biffle won the pole for the Food City 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway with a speed of 125.215mph for his 1st pole of 2012 and 10th career pole. Biffle has never won from the pole. #22-Allmendinger was 2nd fastest followed by #39-Newman, #24-Gordon, #2-Keselowski, #78-Smith, #43-Almirola, #99-Edwards, #20-Logano and #5-Kahne
The go-or-go homers who made the race (8): #30-Stremme, #36-Blaney, #26-Wise, #74-Sorenson, #98-McDowell, #49-Yeley, #87-Nemechek and #23-Riggs
The go-or-go homers who failed to qualify for the race (2):#37-Hill & #7-Gordon (withdrew)
See qualifying results & starting lineup below or on the Starting Lineup page (pdf).(3-16-2012)

Qualifying Fast Facts - Bristol:
#16-Greg Biffle won the Coors Light Pole Award for the 52nd Annual Food City 500 with a lap of 15.324 seconds, 125.215 mph.
This is his 10th pole in 334 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.
This is his first pole and fourth top-10 start in 2012. Biffle is now locked into next year's Shootout at Daytona field.
This is his first pole in 19 races at Bristol Motor Speedway. His previous best start at Bristol was second, three times (most recently March of 2011).
#22-AJ Allmendinger (second) posted his first top-10 start of 2012 and his third in ten races at Bristol Motor Speedway.
#39-Ryan Newman (third) posted his 14th top-10 start at Bristol Motor Speedway. It is his second in four races this season. (NASCAR Statistics)(3-16-2012)

Pole Progression: (who had the pole first, who got it next and who ended up with it)
#23-Riggs, 1st out to qualify, 121.374mph, starts 43rd
#87-Nemechek, 3rd out, 121.713, starts 41st
#47-Labonte, 5th out, 122.623, starts 36th
#33-Gaughan, 7th out, 122.866, starts 32nd
#30-Stremme, 11th out, 123.087, starts 28th
#51-Kurt Busch, 12th out, 123.182, starts 27th
#38-Gilliland, 16th out, 123.269, starts 26th
#13-Mears, 17th out, 123.419, starts 24th
#14-Stewart, 19th out, 123.467, starts 23rd
#10-Reutimann, 20th out, 123.865, starts 19th
#2-Keselowski, 22nd out, 124.865, starts 5th
#16-Biffle, 35th out, 124.215, starts 1st

How did the non Top-35 teams do in qualifying?
Fastest 7 get in, 8th [43rd] spot goes to most recent past champ not in the race already or 8th fastest
[45 entered for 43 spots]:
have qualified for the race:
#30-David Stremme, 123.087
#36-Dave Blaney, 122.638
#26-Josh Wise#, 122.380
#74-Reed Sorenson, 122.287
#98-Michael McDowell, 121.968
#49-J.J. Yeley, 121.829
#87-Joe Nemechek, 121.713
#23-Scott Riggs, 121.374
will miss the race:
#37-Timmy Hill#, 120.278
#7-Robby Gordon, withdrew

NOTES: #7-Robby Gordon, who didn't practice when the team could not get the engine to start, withdrew the car before qualifying

Race info at: Race Info Page

Event Entry List

Past Champions Provisional page

All Time Sprint Cup Pole Winners

2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup qualifying procedures:
1) qualifying order will be determined by the driver's fastest lap in first practice.
2) times on the speed sheet will be inverted with the slowest cars attempting their qualifying runs first
3) go-or-go-home cars will now qualify among the 35 teams locked in on owner points and not be separated by the field. 4) the NASCAR Sprint Cup director does reserve the right to change a driver's qualifying order or allow "adjustments or repairs" to cars after the car has taken the green flag at the start/finish line.
5) all cars must qualify with a full fuel cell.
6) qualifying consists of two consecutive timed laps (except at road courses, 1 lap)
7) the fastest lap determines qualifying position
8) in case of a rain-out of practice, a random drawing will be held for cars set up in the garage area to determine qualifying order
9) if qualifying is rained out, the order of the field will be set according to Section 9-5 of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup rule book.

If first practice is run, but qualifying is unable to take place, the starting lineup will be based on speeds from the car's fastest lap from the first practice, with top-35 cars in owner points no longer segregated from the non-top 35 cars. Previously, the top 35 cars lined up in front of all other eligible car owners.(NASCAR)(7-7-2011)

Past Champions Provisional Berths in Sprint Cup: A past champion's provisional may be used by an eligible driver a maximum of six times over the course of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. A team with a past champion eligible driver may only use this provisional a maximum of six times during a season. The provisional gives the eligible driver the 43rd and final starting position in the race field. This is only for a team/driver OUTSIDE the top-35 in owners points, drivers whose team is in the top-35 in owners points, would already be guaranteed in the field and not need the Past Champions Provisional
See my Past Champions Provisional Page for more.

What happens if all qualifying gets cancelled [rain/weather/other]?
If bad weather cancels qualifying, the final starting lineup will be determined by practice speeds. The same rule book procedures will be used to determine eligibility to start a race. If weather cancels practice sessions, then the starting lineup will be set by points, per the rule book.

If qualifying AND all practices are cancled, then:
If it is during the first 5 races of the season, the previous season OWNERS points are used:
#1) - Previous season Owner Points [position 1-35][team does not have to attempt all the races]
#2) - Race winners from the previous and current season not already in the field
#3) - Past Sprint Cup Champions not in by 1 or 2
#4) - Current season Owner Position [Top 35][not in by rules 1-3]
#5) - Current season race attempts ties broken by current owners position [not in by rules 1-4]
#6) - For 2nd race of season, teams that missed Daytona 500, are seeded in owners points by thier finish in the Duels
#7) - Randon Draw if more then one team with no attempts

If qualifying is cancled by at least one practice gets run, then:
If it is the first 5 races of the season, the previous season OWNERS points are used:
#1) - Previous season Owner Points [position 1-35][team does not have to attempt all the races]
#2) - Race winners from the previous and current season not already in the field
#3) - Past Sprint Cup Champions not in by 1 or 2
#4) - Current season Owner Position [Top 35][not in by rules 1-3]
#5) - Current season race attempts ties broken by current owners position [not in by rules 1-4]
#6) - For 2nd race of season, teams that missed Daytona 500, are seeded in owners points by thier finish in the Duels
#7) - Randon Draw if more then one team with no attempts
#8) - One it is determined which teams/driver made the race, then the field is set by 1st practice speeds.

What happens if just qualifying is cancelled?
If it is during the first 5 races of the season, the previous season OWNERS points are used:
#1) - Previous season Owner Points [position 1-35][team does not have to attempt all the races]
#2) - Race winners from the previous and current season not already in the field
#3) - Past Sprint Cup Champions not in by 1 or 2
#4) - Current season Owner Position [Top 35][not in by rules 1-3]
#5) - Current season race attempts ties broken by current owners position [not in by rules 1-4]
#6) - For 2nd race of season, teams that missed Daytona 500, are seeded in owners points by thier finish in the Duels
#7) - Randon Draw if more then one team with no attempts
#8) - One it is determined which teams/driver made the race, then the field is set by 1st practice speeds.

What happens if just qualifying is cancelled?
AFTER the 5th race of the season, the current season OWNERS points are used:
#1) - First 35 by current Owner Points [team does not have to attempt all the races]
#2) - Last Years Sprint Cup Champ or the Event Champion if not already in the field
#3) - Car Owners whose team has won in the previous and current season not already in the field
#4) - Drivers who have won in the previous and current season not already in the field
#5) - Past Sprint Cup Champions not in by 1 thru 4
#6) - Qualifying Attempts with current Owners points as the tie breaker
#7) - NASCAR will hold a draw for teams with no owners points / attempts
#8) - One it is determined which teams/driver made the race, then the field is set by 1st practice speeds.

NOTE: all above apply as long as the team was entered by the entry deadline - usually 7-13 days before the race

2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup qualifying procedures:
1) qualifying order will be determined by the driver's fastest lap in first practice.
2) times on the speed sheet will be inverted with the slowest cars attempting their qualifying runs first
3) go-or-go-home cars will now qualify among the 35 teams locked in on owner points and not be separated by the field. 4) the NASCAR Sprint Cup director does reserve the right to change a driver's qualifying order or allow "adjustments or repairs" to cars after the car has taken the green flag at the start/finish line.
5) all cars must qualify with a full fuel cell.
6) qualifying consists of two consecutive timed laps (except at road courses, 1 lap)
7) the fastest lap determines qualifying position
8) in case of a rain-out of practice, a random drawing will be held for cars set up in the garage area to determine qualifying order
9) if qualifying is rained out, the order of the field will be set according to Section 9-5 of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup rule book.