Things were looking good for Kyle Larson and his No. 5 team with one driver left in Saturday’s (Oct. 14) qualifying session for the NASCAR Cup Series’ South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Then Christopher Bell happened.
With an average speed of 186.335 mph, Bell captured his sixth pole of the 2023 Cup season, the most of any driver. He will have the best view as the Round of 8 begins on Sunday (Oct. 15). Larson will start alongside him in second, while fellow playoff drivers William Byron, Martin Truex, Jr. and Chris Buescher completed the top five.
Kyle Busch was the highest non-playoff driver in sixth, followed by Bubba Wallace in seventh. Tyler Reddick, Joey Logano and Ross Chastain rounded out the top ten.
Only two of the eight playoff drivers will start outside the top ten: Ryan Blaney in 12th and Denny Hamlin in 15th.
Chase Elliott and Daniel Suarez both wrecked in practice and will go to backup cars. As such, they will start shotgun on the field after failing to post a qualifying lap.
South Point 400 Qualifying Results
The South Point 400 from Las Vegas Motor Speedway begins on Sunday, Oct. 15 at 2:30 p.m. ET. Coverage will be available on NBC, PRN, and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.
Garrett joined Frontstretch as a news writer in 2023, and became a fantasy racing and betting writer in 2024. Hailing from the heart of coal country in southern West Virginia, he's a married father of three and currently enrolled in the Physical Therapy Assistant Program at New River Community Technical College in Beaver, WV.
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