P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Bell stays fast and motors to Southern 500 pole at Darlington
Christopher Bell was the fastest among the NASCAR Cup Series playoff drivers during qualifying at Darlington Raceway, securing the pole position for the Cook Out Southern 500 with a lap of 169.193mph. This is Bell’s third pole in eight races and the seventh of his Cup Series career. His teammate, Denny Hamlin, qualified second. Tyler Reddick, Ryan Blaney, and Brad Keselowski rounded out the top five qualifiers. Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick, Chris Buescher, Michael McDowell, and Aric Almirola completed the top 10 qualifiers. Only Almirola made it to the final round of qualifying among non-playoff drivers. Kyle Busch, Kyle Larson, and Bubba Wallace qualified outside the top 10, while playoff drivers such as William Byron, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ross Chastain, and Martin Truex Jr. will start outside the top 20. Carson Hocevar qualified 15th, while Erik Jones, the defending race winner, qualified 20th. In total, 36 drivers are entered in the Cook Out Southern 500.
Source: Racer.com
