Bell Wins Second-Straight Pole at Kansas Speedway

Nigel Kinrade Phorography

KANSAS CITY, KS – RIS – It’s become a habit for Christopher Bell.  Today, he won the  pole position for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway.   This week at Kansas Speedway, Bell qualified fastest with the only lap over 180 mph at 180.276. Last week’s winner Kyle Larson joins fellow dirt racer Bell on the front row, running a lap of 179.826 mph. Martin Truex Jr. qualified third at 178.767 mph.

Chase Elliott, competing for an owner’s championship, will start fourth and Tyler Reddick qualified fifth.Ross Chastain posted an impressive lap to make the final round, but he could not back it up at crunch time and will start sixth.

Front Row Motorsports found themselves the only Ford in the final round, and Michael McDowell will start seventh beside Austin Dillon, who made his first final round of the season.

William Byron and Bubba Wallace rounded out the top 10, but Byron will have to drop to the rear at the start of the race. Early in practice, the No. 24 team found an issue with the suspension in the form of a broken upper control arm. The team fixed the issue before qualifying began, but due to the impound-style race weekends, Byron will still have to start out back.

Fords just missed out on the final round, as Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski and Chris Buescher will start 11th, 12th and 13th, respectively. Denny Hamlin, who the spring race at Kansas, qualified 14th.

All playoff drivers that posted a lap qualified inside the top 20, with Kevin Harvick slotting in that 20th starting position.

The tires are concerning this week.  In the latter half of Group B practice, Kyle Busch blew a tire in Turn 4, sliding sideways and making significant contact with the wall. Just after the track went green again, Ty Gibbs, who had the second-fastest lap in the group, had a tire go flat in turn 2. Both drivers did not post a qualifying time and will also start in the rear.

The Cup race will be run on Sunday.

Practice: Hollywood Casino 400, Kansas Speedway
Pos, Driver, Car, Time, Speed, Lap #, # Laps, -Fastest, -Next
1) Tyler Reddick (P), No. 45 MoneyLion Toyota, 30.200, 178.808, 3, 21, ---.---, ---.---
2) William Byron (P), No. 24 RaptorTough.com Chevrolet, 30.378, 177.760, 2, 8, -0.178, -0.178
3) Bubba Wallace (P), No. 23 Columbia Sportswear Company Toyota, 30.390, 177.690, 1, 23, -0.190, -0.012
4) Kyle Larson (P), No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, 30.402, 177.620, 2, 27, -0.202, -0.012
5) Ryan Blaney (P), No. 12 Wabash Ford, 30.504, 177.026, 2, 23, -0.304, -0.102
6) Ty Gibbs #, No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota, 30.557, 176.719, 2, 25, -0.357, -0.053
7) Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (P), No. 47 Dillons/NOS Energy Drink Chevrolet, 30.570, 176.644, 1, 21, -0.370, -0.013
8) Martin Truex Jr. (P), No. 19 Bass Pros Shops Toyota, 30.614, 176.390, 1, 20, -0.414, -0.044
9) Erik Jones, No. 43 Allegiant Chevrolet, 30.630, 176.298, 1, 21, -0.430, -0.016
10) Chase Elliott (P), No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, 30.636, 176.263, 3, 25, -0.436, -0.006
11) Todd Gilliland, No. 38 Boot Barn Ford, 30.647, 176.200, 3, 19, -0.447, -0.011
12) Denny Hamlin (P), No. 11 Yahoo! Toyota, 30.652, 176.171, 2, 26, -0.452, -0.005
13) Kevin Harvick (P), No. 4 SunnyD Ford, 30.659, 176.131, 2, 21, -0.459, -0.007
14) Ross Chastain (P), No. 1 Kubota Chevrolet, 30.680, 176.010, 3, 18, -0.480, -0.021
15) Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Freeway.com Chevrolet, 30.682, 175.999, 3, 30, -0.482, -0.002
16) Chase Briscoe, No. 14 Mahindra Tractors Ford, 30.699, 175.901, 1, 26, -0.499, -0.017
17) Michael McDowell (P), No. 34 FR8Auctions.com Ford, 30.700, 175.896, 4, 20, -0.500, -0.001
18) Carson Hocevar(i), No. 42 Sunseeker Resorts Chevrolet, 30.721, 175.776, 2, 21, -0.521, -0.021
19) Christopher Bell (P), No. 20 DEWALT Perform & Protect Toyota, 30.759, 175.558, 2, 19, -0.559, -0.038
20) Chris Buescher (P), No. 17 Fastenal Ford, 30.764, 175.530, 2, 19, -0.564, -0.005
21) Kyle Busch (P), No. 8 Casey's General Store Chevrolet, 30.770, 175.496, 2, 17, -0.570, -0.006
22) AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Nutrien Ag Solutions Chevrolet, 30.777, 175.456, 1, 19, -0.577, -0.007
23) Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Chevrolet, 30.794, 175.359, 3, 23, -0.594, -0.017
24) Ryan Preece, No. 41 United Rentals Ford, 30.799, 175.330, 2, 22, -0.599, -0.005
25) Brad Keselowski (P), No. 6 BuildSubmarines.com Ford, 30.817, 175.228, 4, 17, -0.617, -0.018
26) Joey Logano (P), No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, 30.823, 175.194, 3, 21, -0.623, -0.006
27) Austin Cindric, No. 2 Menards/Richmond Water Heaters Ford, 30.849, 175.046, 3, 10, -0.649, -0.026
28) Aric Almirola, No. 10 Smithfield Ford, 30.880, 174.870, 2, 24, -0.680, -0.031
29) Austin Dillon, No. 3 Bass Pros Shops Chevrolet, 30.895, 174.786, 2, 23, -0.695, -0.015
30) JJ Yeley(i), No. 15 Jungle Law Ford, 30.931, 174.582, 1, 18, -0.731, -0.036
31) Corey LaJoie, No. 7 Gainbridge Chevrolet, 30.934, 174.565, 4, 17, -0.734, -0.003
32) Justin Haley, No. 31 Celsius Chevrolet, 31.004, 174.171, 2, 28, -0.804, -0.070
33) Harrison Burton, No. 21 Menards/MasterForce Ford, 31.037, 173.986, 3, 15, -0.837, -0.033
34) Sheldon Creed(i), No. 78 Whelen Chevrolet, 31.083, 173.728, 4, 26, -0.883, -0.046
35) Cole Custer(i), No. 51 Biohaven/Jacob Co. Ford, 31.114, 173.555, 2, 18, -0.914, -0.031
36) Ty Dillon, No. 77 Raze Tea Chevrolet, 31.171, 173.238, 2, 18, -0.971, -0.057

Best 10 Consecutive Lap Average
Pos, Driver, Car, From Lap, To Lap, Avg Speed
1) Tyler Reddick (P), No. 45 MoneyLion Toyota, 1, 10, 176.052
2) Kyle Larson (P), No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, 1, 10, 176.022
3) Ty Gibbs #, No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota, 1, 10, 175.280
4) Martin Truex Jr. (P), No. 19 Bass Pros Shops Toyota, 1, 10, 175.179
5) Bubba Wallace (P), No. 23 Columbia Sportswear Company Toyota, 1, 10, 175.036
6) Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (P), No. 47 Dillons/NOS Energy Drink Chevrolet, 1, 10, 174.990
7) Chase Elliott (P), No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, 1, 10, 174.735
8) Denny Hamlin (P), No. 11 Yahoo! Toyota, 1, 10, 174.721
9) Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Freeway.com Chevrolet, 1, 10, 174.548
10) Kyle Busch (P), No. 8 Casey's General Store Chevrolet, 2, 11, 174.317
11) Chase Briscoe, No. 14 Mahindra Tractors Ford, 1, 10, 174.298
12) Christopher Bell (P), No. 20 DEWALT Perform & Protect Toyota, 1, 10, 174.203
13) Kevin Harvick (P), No. 4 SunnyD Ford, 1, 10, 174.052
14) Michael McDowell (P), No. 34 FR8Auctions.com Ford, 1, 10, 174.024
15) Chris Buescher (P), No. 17 Fastenal Ford, 2, 11, 173.937
16) Austin Dillon, No. 3 Bass Pros Shops Chevrolet, 1, 10, 173.789
17) Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Chevrolet, 2, 11, 173.583
18) Todd Gilliland, No. 38 Boot Barn Ford, 1, 10, 173.555
19) Ryan Blaney (P), No. 12 Wabash Ford, 6, 15, 173.477
20) Brad Keselowski (P), No. 6 BuildSubmarines.com Ford, 1, 10, 173.315
21) Aric Almirola, No. 10 Smithfield Ford, 1, 10, 173.250
22) Erik Jones, No. 43 Allegiant Chevrolet, 11, 20, 173.143
23) Justin Haley, No. 31 Celsius Chevrolet, 2, 11, 172.837
24) Sheldon Creed(i), No. 78 Whelen Chevrolet, 3, 12, 171.617
Must run 10 consecutive laps on the track to be included in the above chart.

Qualifying: Hollywood Casino 400, Kansas Speedway
Round 1A
Pos, Driver, Car, Time, Speed, Lap #, # Laps, -Fastest, -Next
1) Tyler Reddick (P), No. 45 MoneyLion Toyota, 30.199, 178.814, 1, 1, 0.000, 0.000
2) Bubba Wallace (P), No. 23 Columbia Sportswear Company Toyota, 30.215, 178.719, 1, 1, 0.016, 0.016
3) William Byron (P), No. 24 RaptorTough.com Chevrolet, 30.240, 178.571, 1, 1, 0.041, 0.025
4) Martin Truex Jr. (P), No. 19 Bass Pros Shops Toyota, 30.375, 177.778, 1, 1, 0.176, 0.135
5) Chase Elliott (P), No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, 30.381, 177.743, 1, 1, 0.182, 0.006
6) Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (P), No. 47 Dillons/NOS Energy Drink Chevrolet, 30.437, 177.416, 1, 1, 0.238, 0.056
7) Ryan Blaney (P), No. 12 Wabash Ford, 30.451, 177.334, 1, 1, 0.252, 0.014
8) Erik Jones, No. 43 Allegiant Chevrolet, 30.469, 177.229, 1, 1, 0.270, 0.018
9) Kevin Harvick (P), No. 4 SunnyD Ford, 30.516, 176.956, 1, 1, 0.317, 0.047
10) Carson Hocevar(i), No. 42 Sunseeker Resorts Chevrolet, 30.585, 176.557, 1, 1, 0.386, 0.069
11) Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Chevrolet, 30.622, 176.344, 1, 1, 0.423, 0.037
12) Aric Almirola, No. 10 Smithfield Ford, 30.692, 175.942, 1, 1, 0.493, 0.070
13) Chase Briscoe, No. 14 Mahindra Tractors Ford, 30.711, 175.833, 1, 1, 0.512, 0.019
14) Harrison Burton, No. 21 Menards/MasterForce Ford, 30.774, 175.473, 1, 1, 0.575, 0.063
15) Justin Haley, No. 31 Celsius Chevrolet, 30.818, 175.222, 1, 1, 0.619, 0.044
16) JJ Yeley(i), No. 15 Jungle Law Ford, 30.889, 174.820, 1, 1, 0.690, 0.071
17) Todd Gilliland, No. 38 Boot Barn Ford, 30.893, 174.797, 1, 1, 0.694, 0.004
18) Sheldon Creed(i), No. 78 Whelen Chevrolet, 31.165, 173.271, 1, 1, 0.966, 0.272

Round 1B
Pos, Driver, Car, Time, Speed, Lap #, # Laps, -Fastest, -Next
1) Ross Chastain (P), No. 1 Kubota Chevrolet, 29.925, 180.451, 1, 1, 0.000, 0.000
2) Christopher Bell (P), No. 20 DEWALT Perform & Protect Toyota, 30.126, 179.247, 1, 1, 0.201, 0.201
3) Kyle Larson (P), No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, 30.162, 179.033, 1, 1, 0.237, 0.036
4) Michael McDowell (P), No. 34 FR8Auctions.com Ford, 30.175, 178.956, 1, 1, 0.250, 0.013
5) Austin Dillon, No. 3 Bass Pros Shops Chevrolet, 30.253, 178.495, 1, 1, 0.328, 0.078
6) Joey Logano (P), No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, 30.397, 177.649, 1, 1, 0.472, 0.144
7) Brad Keselowski (P), No. 6 BuildSubmarines.com Ford, 30.404, 177.608, 1, 1, 0.479, 0.007
8) Chris Buescher (P), No. 17 Fastenal Ford, 30.417, 177.532, 1, 1, 0.492, 0.013
9) Denny Hamlin (P), No. 11 Yahoo! Toyota, 30.421, 177.509, 1, 1, 0.496, 0.004
10) Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Freeway.com Chevrolet, 30.426, 177.480, 1, 1, 0.501, 0.005
11) Austin Cindric, No. 2 Menards/Richmond Water Heaters Ford, 30.458, 177.293, 1, 1, 0.533, 0.032
12) AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Nutrien Ag Solutions Chevrolet, 30.587, 176.546, 1, 1, 0.662, 0.129
13) Corey LaJoie, No. 7 Gainbridge Chevrolet, 30.655, 176.154, 1, 1, 0.730, 0.068
14) Cole Custer(i), No. 51 Biohaven/Jacob Co. Ford, 30.724, 175.758, 1, 1, 0.799, 0.069
15) Ryan Preece, No. 41 United Rentals Ford, 30.756, 175.575, 1, 1, 0.831, 0.032
16) Ty Dillon, No. 77 Raze Tea Chevrolet, 30.956, 174.441, 1, 1, 1.031, 0.200
17) Kyle Busch (P), No. 8 Casey's General Store Chevrolet, 0.000, 0.000, 0, 0, -----, -----
18) Ty Gibbs #, No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota, 0.000, 0.000, 0, 0, -----, -----

Round 2
Pos, Driver, Car, Time, Speed, Lap #, # Laps, -Fastest, -Next, , 
1) Christopher Bell (P), No. 20 DEWALT Perform & Protect Toyota, 29.954, 180.276, 1, 1, 0.000, 0.000, , 
2) Kyle Larson (P), No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, 30.029, 179.826, 1, 1, 0.075, 0.075, , 
3) Martin Truex Jr. (P), No. 19 Bass Pros Shops Toyota, 30.207, 178.7671, 1, 0.253, 0.178, , , 
4) Chase Elliott (P), No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, 30.227, 178.648, 1, 1, 0.273, 0.020, , 
5) Tyler Reddick (P), No. 45 MoneyLion Toyota, 30.253, 178.495, 1, 1, 0.299, 0.026, , 
6) Ross Chastain (P), No. 1 Kubota Chevrolet, 30.282, 178.3241, 1, 0.328, 0.029, , , 
7) Michael McDowell (P), No. 34 FR8Auctions.com Ford, 30.291, 178.271, 1, 1, 0.337, 0.009, , 
8) Austin Dillon, No. 3 Bass Pros Shops Chevrolet, 30.303, 178.200, 1, 1, 0.349, 0.012, , 
9) William Byron (P), No. 24 RaptorTough.com Chevrolet, 30.375, 177.778, 1, 1, 0.421, 0.072, , 
10) Bubba Wallace (P), No. 23 Columbia Sportswear Company Toyota, 30.436, 177.421, 1, 1, 0.482, 0.061, ,

Starting Line Up: Hollywood Casino 400, Kansas Speedway
Pos, Driver, Car, Time, Speed
1) Christopher Bell (P), No. 20 DEWALT Perform & Protect Toyota, 29.954 sec, 180.276 mph
2) Kyle Larson (P), No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, 30.029, 179.826
3) Martin Truex Jr. (P), No. 19 Bass Pros Shops Toyota, 30.207, 178.767
4) Chase Elliott (P), No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, 30.227, 178.648
5) Tyler Reddick (P), No. 45 MoneyLion Toyota, 30.253, 178.495
6) Ross Chastain (P), No. 1 Kubota Chevrolet, 30.282, 178.324
7) Michael McDowell (P), No. 34 FR8Auctions.com Ford, 30.291, 178.271
8) Austin Dillon, No. 3 Bass Pros Shops Chevrolet, 30.303, 178.200
9) William Byron (P), No. 24 RaptorTough.com Chevrolet, 30.375, 177.778
10) Bubba Wallace (P), No. 23 Columbia Sportswear Company Toyota, 30.436, 177.421
11) Joey Logano (P), No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, 30.397, 177.649
12) Brad Keselowski (P), No. 6 BuildSubmarines.com Ford, 30.404, 177.608
13) Chris Buescher (P), No. 17 Fastenal Ford, 30.417, 177.532
14) Denny Hamlin (P), No. 11 Yahoo! Toyota, 30.421, 177.509
15) Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Freeway.com Chevrolet, 30.426, 177.480
16) Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (P), No. 47 Dillons/NOS Energy Drink Chevrolet, 30.437, 177.416
17) Ryan Blaney (P), No. 12 Wabash Ford, 30.451, 177.334
18) Austin Cindric, No. 2 Menards/Richmond Water Heaters Ford, 30.458, 177.293
19) Erik Jones, No. 43 Allegiant Chevrolet, 30.469, 177.229
20) Kevin Harvick (P), No. 4 SunnyD Ford, 30.516, 176.956
21) Carson Hocevar(i), No. 42 Sunseeker Resorts Chevrolet, 30.585, 176.557
22) AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Nutrien Ag Solutions Chevrolet, 30.587, 176.546
23) Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Chevrolet, 30.622, 176.344
24) Corey LaJoie, No. 7 Gainbridge Chevrolet, 30.655, 176.154
25) Aric Almirola, No. 10 Smithfield Ford, 30.692, 175.942
26) Chase Briscoe, No. 14 Mahindra Tractors Ford, 30.711, 175.833
27) Cole Custer(i), No. 51 Biohaven/Jacob Co. Ford, 30.724, 175.758
28) Ryan Preece, No. 41 United Rentals Ford, 30.756, 175.575
29) Harrison Burton, No. 21 Menards/MasterForce Ford, 30.774, 175.473
30) Justin Haley, No. 31 Celsius Chevrolet, 30.818, 175.222
31) JJ Yeley(i), No. 15 Jungle Law Ford, 30.889, 174.820
32) Todd Gilliland, No. 38 Boot Barn Ford, 30.893, 174.797
33) Ty Dillon, No. 77 Raze Tea Chevrolet, 30.956, 174.441
34) Sheldon Creed(i), No. 78 Whelen Chevrolet, 31.165, 173.271
35) Kyle Busch (P), No. 8 Casey's General Store Chevrolet, 0.000, 0.000
36) Ty Gibbs #, No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota, 0.000, 0.000
(i) Ineligible for driver points in this series, (#) Rookie, (P) Playoffs

Track Qualifying Record: Kevin Harvick, 10/05/14, 27.325 sec, 197.621 mph

Track Race Record: Chase Elliott, 10/21/18, 02:38:02, 152.057 mph