Christopher Bell captured his third pole position of the season and a record-tying third at Las Vegas Motor Speedway as Toyotas swept the front row for the Round of 8 opener Sunday.
Tyler Reddick qualified second, followed by Alex Bowman and Denny Hamlin as the remaining playoff drivers took three of the first four spots.
Bell turned a lap of 29.135 seconds (185.344 mph) around the 1.5-mile oval in his No. 20 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing. He tied Joey Logano and Kasey Kahne for most poles at Las Vegas.
“I feel really good,” Bell told NBC Sports’ Kim Coon after his 13th career pole position. “I felt really, really comfortable. I know we’re going to have a shot at it (Sunday).”
How to watch Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Round of 8 playoff race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Sunday’s race marks the first chance for a playoff driver to secure a spot in next month’s title race at Phoenix.
RESULTS: Click here for qualifying speeds at Las Vegas
STARTING LINEUPS: By row l By car number
Other playoff drivers who made the top 10: Kyle Larson (who will start fifth), William Byron (ninth) and Logano (10th).
Playoff drivers Ryan Blaney, who went to a backup car after crashing in practice, and Chase Elliott (18th) both missed the final round in qualifying. Blaney will start from the rear of the field.
Here’s the NASCAR Cup Series starting lineup for Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway:
ROW 1
1. Christopher Bell, No. 20 Toyota, 29.135 seconds, 185.344 mph
2. Tyler Reddick, No. 45 Toyota, 29.148, 185.261
ROW 2
3. Alex Bowman, No. 48 Chevrolet, 29.195, 184.963
4. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Toyota, 29.181, 185.052
ROW 3
5. Kyle Larson, No. 5 Chevrolet, 29.205, 184.900
6. Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Chevrolet, 29.254, 184.590
ROW 4
7. Ross Chastain, No. 1 Chevrolet, 29.219, 184.811
8. Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Toyota, 29.275, 184.458
ROW 5
9. William Byron, No. 24 Chevrolet, 29.242, 184.666
10. Joey Logano, No. 22 Ford, 29.287, 184.382
ROW 6
11. Austin Cindric, No. 2 Ford, 29.247, 184.634
12. Martin Truex Jr., No. 19 Toyota, 29.358, 183.936
ROW 7
13. Austin Dillon, No. 3 Chevrolet, 29.269, 184.496
14. Zane Smith, No. 71 Chevrolet, 29.369, 183.867
ROW 8
15. Michael McDowell, No. 34 Ford, 29.298, 184.313
16. Justin Haley, No. 7 Chevrolet, 29.371, 183.855
ROW 9
17. Brad Keselowski, No. 6 Ford, 29.334, 184.087
18. Chase Elliott, No. 9 Chevrolet, 29.381, 183.792
ROW 10
19. Bubba Wallace, No. 23 Toyota, 29.355, 183.955
20. Kyle Busch, No. 8 Chevrolet, 29.461, 183.293
ROW 11
21. Noah Gragson, No. 10 Ford, 29.381, 183.792
22. Chris Buescher, No. 17 Ford, 29.492, 183.101
ROW 12
23. Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Chevrolet, 29.395, 183.705
24. Chase Briscoe, No. 14 Ford, 29.592, 182.482
ROW 13
25. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Chevrolet, 29.430, 183.486
26. John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Toyota, 29.623, 182.291
ROW 14
27. Erik Jones, No. 43 Toyota, 29.434, 183.461
28. Josh Berry, No. 4 Ford, 29.663, 182.045
ROW 15
29. Jimmie Johnson, No. 84 Toyota, 29.446, 183.387
30. Todd Gilliland, No. 38 Ford, 30.006, 179.964
ROW 16
31. Harrison Burton, No. 21 Ford, 29.525, 182.896
32. Ryan Preece, No. 41 Ford, 30.016, 179.904
ROW 17
33. Daniel Hemric, No. 31 Chevrolet, 29.527, 182.883
34. Shane Van Gisbergen, No. 16 Chevrolet, 30.457, 177.299
ROW 18
35. Corey LaJoie, No. 51 Ford, 29.811, 181.141
36. Cody Ware, No. 15 Ford, 30.912, 174.689
ROW 19
37. Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Ford, no time
