Christopher Bell qualifies on the pole for NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway

By DAVE SKRETTA
AP Sports Writer

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Christopher Bell won the pole for the NASCAR Cup Series playoff race at Kansas Speedway on Sunday. That puts him in good position to get off the bubble and make next week’s cutoff race at Bristol a little less stressful. Bell was the only driver among the 10 in the final round of qualifying to go over 180 mph. That was enough to beat out Kyle Larson, who locked up his place in the next round of the playoffs with a win last week at Darlington. Playoff driver Kyle Busch blew a tire and hit the wall in qualifying, and he will have to start at the back of the pack.