Christopher Bell will be on the pole for the opening race of the third round of NASCAR’s playoffs.
The South Point 400 in Las Vegas is scheduled to start at 2:30 p.m. EDT and you can watch it on NBC and live-streamed on fubo TV (FREE trial)
Bell turned a lap at 185.344 miles per hour in a Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing on Saturday to take the top starting spot at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Bell is one of eight drivers attempting to earn a spot in the Cup Series championship finale.
“I feel really good. I feel really comfortable,” Bell told reporters afterward. “I know we’re going to have a shot at it.”
Tyler Reddick qualified second in a Toyota for 23XI Racing. Alex Bowman, who lost his spot in the playoff field when his car failed post-race inspection last Sunday at Charlotte and was disqualified, qualified fourth.
Reigning Cup champion Ryan Blaney crashed in practice and did not make a qualifying attempt. He will start last Sunday.
Denny Hamlin, a teammate with Bell at JGR, qualified third as Toyotas took three of the top four qualifying positions.
- WHAT: South Point 400, Las Vegas Motor Speedway
- TIME: 2:30 p.m. EDT
- TV: NBC
- LIVE STREAM: fubo TV (FREE trial)
Current points leader Kyle Larson, the defending race winner, was fifth as he and Bowman put a pair of Chevrolets from Hendrick Motorsports in the top five.
William Byron qualified seventh for Hendrick, while Joey Logano of Team Penske was 10th in a Ford. Logano was moved into the round of eight following Bowman’s disqualification last week.
A win by any of the playoff drivers at Las Vegas on Sunday, or the next two weeks at Homestead-Miami Speedway or in Martinsville, Virginia, will earn an automatic berth in the finale. The fourth slot will go to the highest-ranked driver in the Cup Series standings.
Chase Elliott was the slowest of all the playoff drivers with an 18th-place qualifying lap. But he’s not the lowest starter of the title contenders: Reigning Cup champion Ryan Blaney will start last after a crash early in his 20-minute practice session ended his Saturday.
The No. 12 Ford seemed to blow a tire and spun into the wall in a driver-side impact.
“Hard hit. But I live,” Blaney said later. “I’m all right, just blew a tire and it stinks. Shame it ended our practice early, we’ve got our work cut out for us. There’s definitely a lot to overcome, starting from the back and no laps with this backup car.”
- WATCH: NBC and live stream on fubo TV (FREE trial)
Larson closed the playoff’s round of 12 last weekend with a win at Charlotte’s Roval. It was a satisfying triumph for Larson, who had hoped to complete the Indy 500-Coca-Cola 600 double last May before rain in Charlotte prevented him from turning any NASCAR laps.
He leads the playoff standings with Bell right behind. Regular-season champion Tyler Reddick is third and William Byron fourth.
Kyle Larson poses with the trophy with his daughter Audrey, 6, after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)AP
After Las Vegas, the round of eight goes to Homestead-Miami and Martinsville before the final four playoff survivors race for it all in Phoenix next month.
Larson has won three of the past seven Cup Series races at Las Vegas, including the past two — last October and last March.
Here’s a link to both the season and postseason standings.
