Bell rings first again in Vegas qualifying
LAS VEGAS — For the second year in a row, Christopher Bell will start on the pole for the NASCAR Cup Series playoff race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Bell put his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota on the pole by a mere 0.013 seconds over Toyota teammate Tyler Reddick. It is the JGR driver’s 13th career Cup Series pole.
Last year, Bell led 13 of the first 39 laps before conceding a battle for the lead to Kyle Larson. Bell finished second and third in the first two stages but jumped to the lead for 43 laps in the final stage.
A caution with 56 laps to go put him behind Larson, giving Larson the upper-hand. Bell rallied back but came up 0.082 seconds shy of winning.
That final pit stop, Bell said Saturday after qualifying, is what he needs to work on to finish one position better this year.
Bell sits second in points to start the Round of 8, 13 points above the cutline.
He will start up front while fellow playoff contender Ryan Blaney will start in the rear after a wreck in qualifying Saturday.
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Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com