Christopher Bell left the field in his rearview mirror during Saturday’s qualifying at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, clocking a blistering 187.156 mph lap to secure the top spot for Sunday’s Pennzoil 400.
Driving for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR), Bell conquered the 1.5-mile track in just 28.853 seconds, edging out teammate Denny Hamlin by 0.150 seconds. This marks Bell’s first pole of the season, his fourth at Las Vegas, and the 15th of his Cup Series career.
Key Qualifying Highlights
-
Toyota Sweep: It was a banner day for Toyota, which claimed the top four spots. Ty Gibbs (JGR) and Bubba Wallace (23XI Racing) followed Bell and Hamlin, marking only the seventh time in Cup history that Toyota has swept the top four.
-
The Manufacturers: Kyle Larson was the fastest Chevrolet in 5th (185.548 mph), while Ryan Blaney led the Ford camp in 6th (185.185 mph).
-
The Streak: Series leader Tyler Reddick, who has won every race so far this season, will start from 7th.
-
Tough Luck: Last year’s winner, Josh Berry, struggled in his No. 21 Ford and will start deep in the field in 32nd.
Mastering the Bumps
Bell attributed his success to his team’s ability to handle the notorious bumps in Turn 1 without sacrificing speed on the smoother sections of the track. “It’s a compromise,” Bell noted. “My team nailed it.”
The momentum stayed consistent from earlier in the day, as Bell also topped the practice charts with a speed of 184.062 mph, followed closely by Hamlin and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Race Details: Catch the Pennzoil 400 Sunday at 4 p.m. ET on FS1, HBO Max, or SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Las Vegas Cup Series Starting Lineup
Qualifying: March 14, 2026; Race: March 15, 2026
|
POSITION
|
BEST SPEED
|
BEST TIME
|
BEHIND
|
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
C. Bell #20
|
187.156
|
28.853
|
Winner
|
|
2 |
D. Hamlin #11
|
186.188
|
29.003
|
0.150
|
|
3 |
T. Gibbs #54
|
185.803
|
29.063
|
0.210
|
|
4 |
B. Wallace #23
|
185.771
|
29.068
|
0.215
|
|
5 |
K. Larson #5
|
185.548
|
29.103
|
0.250
|
|
6 |
R. Blaney #12
|
185.185
|
29.160
|
0.307
|
|
7 |
T. Reddick #45
|
185.134
|
29.168
|
0.315
|
|
8 |
R. Preece #60
|
184.900
|
29.205
|
0.352
|
|
9 |
W. Byron #24
|
184.824
|
29.217
|
0.364
|
|
10 |
C. Buescher #17
|
184.647
|
29.245
|
0.392
|
|
11 |
A. Dillon #3
|
184.615
|
29.250
|
0.397
|
|
12 |
Z. Smith #38
|
184.603
|
29.252
|
0.399
|
|
13 |
D. Suárez #7
|
184.433
|
29.279
|
0.426
|
|
14 |
E. Jones #43
|
184.395
|
29.285
|
0.432
|
|
15 |
C. Elliott #9
|
184.370
|
29.289
|
0.436
|
|
16 |
S. Van Gisbergen #97
|
184.338
|
29.294
|
0.441
|
|
17 |
R. Chastain #1
|
184.062
|
29.338
|
0.485
|
|
18 |
C. Briscoe #19
|
184.030
|
29.343
|
0.490
|
|
19 |
C. Hocevar #77
|
183.949
|
29.356
|
0.503
|
|
20 |
R. Herbst #35
|
183.905
|
29.363
|
0.510
|
|
21 |
J. Logano #22
|
183.824
|
29.376
|
0.523
|
|
22 |
J. Allgaier #48
|
183.824
|
29.376
|
0.523
|
|
23 |
R. Stenhouse Jr #47
|
183.755
|
29.387
|
0.534
|
|
24 |
K. Busch #8
|
183.331
|
29.455
|
0.602
|
|
25 |
C. Zilisch #88
|
183.187
|
29.478
|
0.625
|
|
26 |
J. Nemechek #42
|
183.094
|
29.493
|
0.640
|
|
27 |
T. Gilliland #34
|
183.094
|
29.493
|
0.640
|
|
28 |
B. Keselowski #6
|
183.026
|
29.504
|
0.651
|
|
29 |
A. Allmendinger #16
|
182.865
|
29.530
|
0.677
|
|
30 |
M. McDowell #71
|
182.113
|
29.652
|
0.799
|
|
31 |
A. Cindric #2
|
181.879
|
29.690
|
0.837
|
|
32 |
J. Berry #21
|
181.543
|
29.745
|
0.892
|
|
33 |
C. Ware #51
|
181.391
|
29.770
|
0.917
|
|
34 |
N. Gragson #4
|
179.647
|
30.059
|
1.206
|
|
35 |
C. Custer #41
|
178.512
|
30.250
|
1.397
|
|
36 |
T. Dillon #10
|
176.430
|
30.607
|
1.754
|
