For the sixth time in his career, Christopher Bell will start on pole position in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Bell secured the top spot for Sunday’s Firekeepers Casino 400 at Michigan Int’l Speedway after laying down a fastest speed of 193.382 mph, narrowly edging out Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain by 0.027 seconds.
“I feel excellent about what I have for sure. It has been a pretty smooth Saturday,” Bell said. “In practice, it was very good off the truck and fast and balanced. That is what it is all about at Michigan – having the car comfortable and balanced so you can drive as hard as you need to, to create speed as you need to here in Michigan.”
Behind the front row, Bell’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Ty Gibbs slotted in third, with last week’s Richmond (Va.) Raceway winner Chris Buescher in fourth.
“That was solid for qualifying here,” Buescher said. “I was really happy with that and our Castrol Edge Ford Mustang. I felt like after practice: It wasn’t the fastest on the charge, but I felt like we were really close to maximizing potential. I think we were able to do that there. I want a redo in [turns] three and four – see if we can get a little better. But, our one and two were wide-open. So, I’m really happy with that.
“That’s where we’re going to need to be, and we got that. Just a little down in three and four speed.”
Points leader Martin Truex Jr. qualified his No. 19 Toyota Camry in fifth. After the session, Truex revealed he would be returning to the Cup Series next season.
Two Team Penske Fords made up the top 10 with reigning champion Joey Logano in sixth and Ryan Blaney ninth.
The rest of the top 10 was occupied by the Chevrolets of William Byron (seventh), Kyle Busch (eighth) and Chase Elliott (10th). Elliott currently sits 20th on the NASCAR Playoffs grid, 40 points below the cutline with four races remaining.
In his final start at the two-mile oval, Kevin Harvick will roll off the grid in 22nd place.