Bell Wins Las Vegas Cup Pole, Blaney Crash in Practice Forces Backup Car Move

Christopher Bell, here shown in ROVAL practice, won the pole for the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

(LAS VEGAS, NV – OCT. 19, 2024 – RIS) Christopher Bell won the pole for the South Point 400, his lap of 29.135 seconds and 185.344 mph beating out Tyler Reddick by a scant 0.007 second.

In practice, Ryan Blaney spun and hit the wall, sending the No. 12 Ford to a backup car and a last-place starting position. “I think it just blew a left-rear tire,” said Blaney. “I couldn’t really feel anything down the frontstretch and I just went into one and it was about the worst place to blow one.”

 “We’ll have to go to a backup car for sure.  We’ll go to work today and in the morning to try and get that thing to where it needs to be and try to charge from the back.

“I went through one and two the first lap and it’s rough through there like it normally is, so I didn’t really feel anything odd or out of the ordinary. I figured a couple laps the pressures come up and you’ll be fine, but I didn’t feel anything down the front the lap that it blew into one, so it kind of caught me by surprise.  I didn’t feel anything super out of place to make me think it was gonna be flat into one, so it’s just one of those things that stinks and catches you off guard. There was no indication and it was in the worst part of the corner.”

Practice: South Point 400, Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Pos, Driver, Car, Time, Speed, Lap #, # Laps, -Fastest, -Next
1) Tyler Reddick (P), No. 45 Jordan Brand Toyota, 29.478 sec, 183.187 mph, 5, 23, ---, ---
2) Martin Truex Jr., No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota, 29.553, 182.723, 3, 28, -0.075 sec, -0.075 sec
3) Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota, 29.586, 182.519, 3, 31, -0.108, -0.033
4) Ross Chastain, No. 1 Worldwide Express Chevrolet, 29.605, 182.402, 3, 25, -0.127, -0.019
5) Carson Hocevar #, No. 77 Delaware Life Chevrolet, 29.619, 182.315, 2, 19, -0.141, -0.014
6) Bubba Wallace, No. 23 Leidos/U.S. Air Force Toyota, 29.645, 182.156, 1, 29, -0.167, -0.026
7) Zane Smith #, No. 71 Focused Health Chevrolet, 29.661, 182.057, 2, 25, -0.183, -0.016
8) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Scott Brand Chevrolet, 29.661, 182.057, 3, 26, -0.183, -0.000
9) Kyle Larson (P), No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, 29.680, 181.941, 4, 27, -0.202, -0.019
10) Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Chevrolet, 29.693, 181.861, 5, 36, -0.215, -0.013
11) William Byron (P), No. 24 RaptorTough.com Chevrolet, 29.706, 181.781, 2, 24, -0.228, -0.013
12) Chase Briscoe, No. 14 Texas A&M University Ford, 29.713, 181.739, 1, 22, -0.235, -0.007
13) Christopher Bell (P), No. 20 Rheem Toyota, 29.719, 181.702, 2, 26, -0.241, -0.006
14) Chris Buescher, No. 17 Castrol Edge Ford, 29.739, 181.580, 3, 21, -0.261, -0.020
15) John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Pye Barker Fire & Safety Toyota, 29.741, 181.568, 2, 23, -0.263, -0.002
16) Brad Keselowski, No. 6 King's Hawaiian Ford, 29.745, 181.543, 1, 26, -0.267, -0.004
17) Austin Dillon, No. 3 Boot Barn Chevrolet, 29.758, 181.464, 3, 19, -0.280, -0.013
18) Denny Hamlin (P), No. 11 Yahoo! Toyota, 29.764, 181.427, 3, 26, -0.286, -0.006
19) Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Tootsies Orchid Lounge Chevrolet, 29.780, 181.330, 1, 32, -0.302, -0.016
20) Chase Elliott (P), No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, 29.790, 181.269, 2, 26, -0.312, -0.010
21) Erik Jones, No. 43 Massey Motor Freight Toyota, 29.824, 181.062, 3, 21, -0.346, -0.034
22) Justin Haley, No. 7 Gainbridge Chevrolet, 29.833, 181.008, 2, 32, -0.355, -0.009
23) Kyle Busch, No. 8 FICO Chevrolet, 29.851, 180.898, 2, 25, -0.373, -0.018
24) Jimmie Johnson*, No. 84 Dollar Tree/Family Dollar Toyota, 29.868, 180.796, 4, 20, -0.390, -0.017
25) Todd Gilliland, No. 38 gener8tor Ford, 29.899, 180.608, 3, 30, -0.421, -0.031
26) Michael McDowell, No. 34 Love's Travel Stops Ford, 29.924, 180.457, 2, 23, -0.446, -0.025
27) Daniel Hemric, No. 31 South Point Hotel and Casino Chevrolet, 29.969, 180.186, 4, 25, -0.491, -0.045
28) Noah Gragson, No. 10 Fanttik Ford, 29.993, 180.042, 4, 23, -0.515, -0.024
29) Josh Berry #, No. 4 Mobil 1 Take 5 Ford, 30.010, 179.940, 5, 26, -0.532, -0.017
30) Joey Logano (P), No. 22 Pennzoil Ford, 30.018, 179.892, 2, 34, -0.540, -0.008
31) Ryan Preece, No. 41 Bonanza Cabernet Ford, 30.080, 179.521, 2, 24, -0.602, -0.062
32) Austin Cindric, No. 2 Autotrader Ford, 30.122, 179.271, 7, 34, -0.644, -0.042
33) Corey LaJoie, No. 51 Mighty Fire Breaker Ford, 30.284, 178.312, 4, 18, -0.806, -0.162
34) Cody Ware, No. 15 Evel Knievel-Parts Plus/Pronto Ford, 30.321, 178.094, 2, 14, -0.843, -0.037
35) Harrison Burton, No. 21 DEX Imaging Ford, 30.456, 177.305, 5, 25, -0.978, -0.135
36) Shane Van Gisbergen(i), No. 16 Wendy's Spicy Chicken Chevrolet, 30.473, 177.206, 11, 21, -0.995, -0.017
37) Ryan Blaney (P), No. 12 Menards/Great Stuff Ford, 31.459, 171.652, 1, 1, -1.981, -0.986
(*) Required to qualify on time, (i) Ineligible for driver points, (#) Rookie, (P) Playoffs

Best 10 Consecutive Lap Average
Pos, Driver, Car, From Lap, To Lap, Avg Speed
1) Martin Truex Jr., No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota, 1, 10, 180.181 mph
2) Tyler Reddick (P), No. 45 Jordan Brand Toyota, 4, 13, 180.154
3) Ross Chastain, No. 1 Worldwide Express Chevrolet, 3, 12, 180.100
4) Chase Elliott (P), No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, 1, 10, 180.071
5) Kyle Larson (P), No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, 4, 13, 180.065
6) Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota, 1, 10, 179.842
7) Denny Hamlin (P), No. 11 Yahoo! Toyota, 1, 10, 179.682
8) Zane Smith #, No. 71 Focused Health Chevrolet, 1, 10, 179.608
9) Justin Haley, No. 7 Gainbridge Chevrolet, 1, 10, 179.588
10) Erik Jones, No. 43 Massey Motor Freight Toyota, 2, 11, 179.584
11) Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Tootsies Orchid Lounge Chevrolet, 3, 12, 179.529
12) Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Chevrolet, 4, 13, 179.493
13) Carson Hocevar #, No. 77 Delaware Life Chevrolet, 1, 10, 179.375
14) Todd Gilliland, No. 38 gener8tor Ford, 1, 10, 179.052
15) Bubba Wallace, No. 23 Leidos/U.S. Air Force Toyota, 4, 13, 179.026
16) Brad Keselowski, No. 6 King's Hawaiian Ford, 3, 12, 178.908
17) Kyle Busch, No. 8 FICO Chevrolet, 1, 10, 178.880
18) Josh Berry #, No. 4 Mobil 1 Take 5 Ford, 3, 12, 178.674
19) Chase Briscoe, No. 14 Texas A&M University Ford, 1, 10, 178.643
20) Noah Gragson, No. 10 Fanttik Ford, 3, 12, 178.611
21) Joey Logano (P), No. 22 Pennzoil Ford, 2, 11, 178.357
22) Daniel Hemric, No. 31 South Point Hotel and Casino Chevrolet, 3, 12, 178.288
23) Ryan Preece, No. 41 Bonanza Cabernet Ford, 1, 10, 177.914
24) Austin Cindric, No. 2 Autotrader Ford, 4, 13, 177.567
25) Christopher Bell (P), No. 20 Rheem Toyota, 11, 20, 177.190
26) Michael McDowell, No. 34 Love's Travel Stops Ford, 6, 15, 177.132
27) William Byron (P), No. 24 RaptorTough.com Chevrolet, 9, 18, 177.091
28) Shane Van Gisbergen(i), No. 16 Wendy's Spicy Chicken Chevrolet, 7, 16, 176.617
29) John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Pye Barker Fire & Safety Toyota, 10, 19, 176.608
30) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Scott Brand Chevrolet, 8, 17, 176.557
31) Chris Buescher, No. 17 Castrol Edge Ford, 11, 20, 176.428
32) Harrison Burton, No. 21 DEX Imaging Ford, 10, 19, 175.524
Must run 10 consecutive laps.

Time Trials: South Point 400, Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Round 1A:
Pos, Driver, Car, Time, Speed, -Fastest, -Next
1) Christopher Bell (P), No. 20 Rheem Toyota, 29.153 sec, 185.230 mph, ---, ---
2) Denny Hamlin (P), No. 11 Yahoo! Toyota, 29.256, 184.578, 0.103 sec, 0.103 sec
3) Joey Logano (P), No. 22 Pennzoil Ford, 29.306, 184.263, 0.153, 0.050
4) Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota, 29.309, 184.244, 0.156, 0.003
5) Carson Hocevar #, No. 77 Delaware Life Chevrolet, 29.347, 184.005, 0.194, 0.038
6) Martin Truex Jr., No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota, 29.358, 183.936, 0.205, 0.011
7) Zane Smith #, No. 71 Focused Health Chevrolet, 29.369, 183.867, 0.216, 0.011
8) Justin Haley, No. 7 Gainbridge Chevrolet, 29.371, 183.855, 0.218, 0.002
9) Chase Elliott (P), No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, 29.381, 183.792, 0.228, 0.010
10) Kyle Busch, No. 8 FICO Chevrolet, 29.461, 183.293, 0.308, 0.080
11) Chris Buescher, No. 17 Castrol Edge Ford, 29.492, 183.101, 0.339, 0.031
12) Chase Briscoe, No. 14 Texas A&M University Ford, 29.592, 182.482, 0.439, 0.100
13) John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Pye Barker Fire & Safety Toyota, 29.623, 182.291, 0.470, 0.031
14) Josh Berry #, No. 4 Mobil 1 Take 5 Ford, 29.663, 182.045, 0.510, 0.040
15) Todd Gilliland, No. 38 gener8tor Ford, 30.006, 179.964, 0.853, 0.343
16) Ryan Preece, No. 41 Bonanza Cabernet Ford, 30.016, 179.904, 0.863, 0.010
17) Shane Van Gisbergen(i), No. 16 Wendy's Spicy Chicken Chevrolet, 30.457, 177.299, 1.304, 0.441
18) Cody Ware, No. 15 Evel Knievel-Parts Plus/Pronto Ford, 30.912, 174.689, 1.759, 0.455
(*) Required to qualify on time, (i) Ineligible for driver points, (#) Rookie, (P) Playoffs

Round 1B:
Pos, Driver, Car, Time, Speed, -Fastest, -Next
1) Tyler Reddick (P), No. 45 Jordan Brand Toyota, 29.097 sec, 185.586 mph, ---, ---
2) William Byron (P), No. 24 RaptorTough.com Chevrolet, 29.134, 185.350, 0.037 sec, 0.037 sec
3) Ross Chastain, No. 1 Worldwide Express Chevrolet, 29.151, 185.242, 0.054, 0.017
4) Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Chevrolet, 29.168, 185.134, 0.071, 0.017
5) Kyle Larson (P), No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, 29.170, 185.122, 0.073, 0.002
6) Austin Cindric, No. 2 Autotrader Ford, 29.247, 184.634, 0.150, 0.077
7) Austin Dillon, No. 3 Boot Barn Chevrolet, 29.269, 184.496, 0.172, 0.022
8) Michael McDowell, No. 34 Love's Travel Stops Ford, 29.298, 184.313, 0.201, 0.029
9) Brad Keselowski, No. 6 King's Hawaiian Ford, 29.334, 184.087, 0.237, 0.036
10) Bubba Wallace, No. 23 Leidos/U.S. Air Force Toyota, 29.355, 183.955, 0.258, 0.021
11) Noah Gragson, No. 10 Fanttik Ford, 29.381, 183.792, 0.284, 0.026
12) Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Tootsies Orchid Lounge Chevrolet, 29.395, 183.705, 0.298, 0.014
13) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Scott Brand Chevrolet, 29.430, 183.486, 0.333, 0.035
14) Erik Jones, No. 43 Massey Motor Freight Toyota, 29.434, 183.461, 0.337, 0.004
15) Jimmie Johnson*, No. 84 Dollar Tree/Family Dollar Toyota, 29.446, 183.387, 0.349, 0.012
16) Harrison Burton, No. 21 DEX Imaging Ford, 29.525, 182.896, 0.428, 0.079
17) Daniel Hemric, No. 31 South Point Hotel and Casino Chevrolet, 29.527, 182.883, 0.430, 0.002
18) Corey LaJoie, No. 51 Mighty Fire Breaker Ford, 29.811, 181.141, 0.714, 0.284
19) Ryan Blaney (P), No. 12 Menards/Great Stuff Ford, 0.000, 0.000, -----, -----
(*) Required to qualify on time, (i) Ineligible for driver points, (#) Rookie, (P) Playoffs

Round 2:
Pos, Driver, Car, Time, Speed, -Fastest, -Next
1) Christopher Bell (P), No. 20 Rheem Toyota, 29.135 sec, 185.344 mph, ---, ---
2) Tyler Reddick (P), No. 45 Jordan Brand Toyota, 29.148, 185.261, 0.013 sec, 0.013 sec
3) Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Chevrolet, 29.195, 184.963, 0.060, 0.047
4) Denny Hamlin (P), No. 11 Yahoo! Toyota, 29.181, 185.052, 0.046, 0.014
5) Kyle Larson (P), No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, 29.205, 184.900, 0.070, 0.024
6) Carson Hocevar #, No. 77 Delaware Life Chevrolet, 29.254, 184.590, 0.119, 0.049
7) Ross Chastain, No. 1 Worldwide Express Chevrolet, 29.219, 184.811, 0.084, 0.035
8) Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota, 29.275, 184.458, 0.140, 0.056
9) William Byron (P), No. 24 RaptorTough.com Chevrolet, 29.242, 184.666, 0.107, 0.033
10) Joey Logano (P), No. 22 Pennzoil Ford, 29.287, 184.382, 0.152, 0.045
(*) Required to qualify on time, (i) Ineligible for driver points, (#) Rookie, (P) Playoffs

Starting Line Up: South Point 400, Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Pos, Driver, Car, Time, Speed
1) Christopher Bell (P), No. 20 Rheem Toyota, 29.135 sec, 185.344 mph
2) Tyler Reddick (P), No. 45 Jordan Brand Toyota, 29.148, 185.261
3) Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Chevrolet, 29.195, 184.963
4) Denny Hamlin (P), No. 11 Yahoo! Toyota, 29.181, 185.052
5) Kyle Larson (P), No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, 29.205, 184.900
6) Carson Hocevar #, No. 77 Delaware Life Chevrolet, 29.254, 184.590
7) Ross Chastain, No. 1 Worldwide Express Chevrolet, 29.219, 184.811
8) Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota, 29.275, 184.458
9) William Byron (P), No. 24 RaptorTough.com Chevrolet, 29.242, 184.666
10) Joey Logano (P), No. 22 Pennzoil Ford, 29.287, 184.382
11) Austin Cindric, No. 2 Autotrader Ford, 29.247, 184.634
12) Martin Truex Jr., No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota, 29.358, 183.936
13) Austin Dillon, No. 3 Boot Barn Chevrolet, 29.269, 184.496
14) Zane Smith #, No. 71 Focused Health Chevrolet, 29.369, 183.867
15) Michael McDowell, No. 34 Love's Travel Stops Ford, 29.298, 184.313
16) Justin Haley, No. 7 Gainbridge Chevrolet, 29.371, 183.855
17) Brad Keselowski, No. 6 King's Hawaiian Ford, 29.334, 184.087
18) Chase Elliott (P), No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, 29.381, 183.792
19) Bubba Wallace, No. 23 Leidos/U.S. Air Force Toyota, 29.355, 183.955
20) Kyle Busch, No. 8 FICO Chevrolet, 29.461, 183.293
21) Noah Gragson, No. 10 Fanttik Ford, 29.381, 183.792
22) Chris Buescher, No. 17 Castrol Edge Ford, 29.492, 183.101
23) Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Tootsies Orchid Lounge Chevrolet, 29.395, 183.705
24) Chase Briscoe, No. 14 Texas A&M University Ford, 29.592, 182.482
25) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Scott Brand Chevrolet, 29.430, 183.486
26) John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Pye Barker Fire & Safety Toyota, 29.623, 182.291
27) Erik Jones, No. 43 Massey Motor Freight Toyota, 29.434, 183.461
28) Josh Berry #, No. 4 Mobil 1 Take 5 Ford, 29.663, 182.045
29) Jimmie Johnson, No. 84 Dollar Tree/Family Dollar Toyota, 29.446, 183.387
30) Todd Gilliland, No. 38 gener8tor Ford, 30.006, 179.964
31) Harrison Burton, No. 21 DEX Imaging Ford, 29.525, 182.896
32) Ryan Preece, No. 41 Bonanza Cabernet Ford, 30.016, 179.904
33) Daniel Hemric, No. 31 South Point Hotel and Casino Chevrolet, 29.527, 182.883
34) Shane Van Gisbergen(i), No. 16 Wendy's Spicy Chicken Chevrolet, 30.457, 177.299
35) Corey LaJoie, No. 51 Mighty Fire Breaker Ford, 29.811, 181.141
36) Cody Ware, No. 15 Evel Knievel-Parts Plus/Pronto Ford, 30.912, 174.689
37) Ryan Blaney (P), No. 12 Menards/Great Stuff Ford, 0.000, 0.000
(*) Required to qualify on time, (i) Ineligible for driver points, (#) Rookie, (P) Playoffs

Track Qualifying Record: Kurt Busch, 03/06/16, 27.505 sec, 196.328 mph

Track Race Record: Joey Logano, 03/03/19, 2:35:11, 154.849 mph