Christoper Bell Captures NASCAR Cup Pole At Talladega

Christopher Bell speaks to the media during the NASCAR Cup Series 64th Daytona 500 Media Day at Daytona International Speedway on February 16, 2022. Photo: James Gilbert/Getty Images

Christopher Bell earned his second career NASCAR Cup Series pole position with a lap of 180.92 mph around the 2.66-mile Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday morning.

Bell just edging his teammate, Martin Truex, Jr., by a scant .081-second.

The all Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota front row marks the first time the team has swept top qualifying honors in a qualifying session at Talladega. The teammates will lead the field to green in Sunday’s GEICO 500.

“I can’t say I got anything (picking up speed) that was all my crew guys. I’m just very thankful to be in the position I am driving for Joe Gibbs Racing,’’ said Bell, whose best Talladega finish in four starts is fifth in last fall’s race.

“We’ve got a great team and this one is a pretty big thank you to (executive) Andy Graves at TRD (Toyota Racing Development). We ride him pretty hard, but I’ll give this engine a 10, Andy.”

Asked if he thought the wind gusts at the track ultimately made a difference in his pole-winning speed, the 27-year-old smiled and said, “it didn’t hurt.”

“Even from the first round to the second round I could tell my RPMs picked up really big going down the back straightaway then they were pretty flat going down the front straightaway, so I don’t’ know if it was an advantage to me, but definitely didn’t hurt,” said Bell, whose previous pole position came in March at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Defending NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Daniel Hemric held the top qualifying position until the final two cars in the second round (Truex and Bell) and will start third. Daniel Suárez was fourth fastest, followed by defending NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson in fifth. None of the drivers in the top five has ever won a NASCAR Cup Series race at the track.

Kurt Busch, Denny Hamlin, William Byron, Bubba Wallace, and Tyler Reddick rounded out the top-10 qualifiers.

Of note, the top qualifying Ford driver was Joey Logano, who will roll off 13th. Defending race winner Brad Keselowski will start from 15th position on the grid.

Keselowski is the winningest driver in the field with six victories.

NASCAR Cup Series
Talladega Superspeedway – Talladega, AL
GEICO 500 – April 23, 2022

Sunday’s Staring Line Up

Pos Car Driver Team Time Speed
1. 20 Christopher Bell DeWalt Toyota 52.927 180.928
2. 19 Martin Truex, Jr. Bass Pro Shops Toyota 53.008 180.652
3. 16 Daniel Hemric(i) Majestic Steel Chevrolet 53.221 179.929
4. 99 Daniel Suarez Tootsies Orchid Lounge Chevrolet 53.234 179.885
5. 5 Kyle Larson HendrickCars.com Chevrolet 53.254 179.817
6. 45 Kurt Busch Monster Energy Toyota 53.255 179.814
7. 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx All in for Small Business Toyota 53.308 179.635
8. 24 William Byron Liberty University Chevrolet 53.316 179.608
9. 23 Bubba Wallace McDonald’s Toyota 53.336 179.541
10. 8 Tyler Reddick BetMGM Chevrolet 53.399 179.329
11. 31 Justin Haley LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet 53.514 178.944
12. 18 Kyle Busch Interstate Batteries Toyota 53.515 178.940
13. 22 Joey Logano Shell Pennzoil/Autotrader Ford 53.572 178.750
14. 3 Austin Dillon Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Off Road 53.602 178.650
15. 6 Brad Keselowski Castrol Carbon Neutral Ford 53.626 178.570
16. 43 Erik Jones U.S. Air Force Chevrolet 53.628 178.563
17. 14 Chase Briscoe Mahindra Tractors Ford 53.635 178.540
18. 2 Austin Cindric # Menards/Sylvania Ford 53.653 178.480
19. 1 Ross Chastain Moose Fraternity Chevrolet 53.657 178.467
20. 42 Ty Dillon Black Rifle Coffee Company Chevrolet 53.689 178.361
21. 34 Michael McDowell Love’s Travel Stops Ford 53.708 178.297
22. 12 Ryan Blaney Wurth Ford 53.743 178.181
23. 10 Aric Almirola Smithfield/IHOP Ford 53.744 178.178
24. 4 Kevin Harvick GEARWRENCH Ford 53.751 178.155
25. 21 Harrison Burton # Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford 53.764 178.112
26. 47 Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. Kroger/SunnyD Chevrolet 53.802 177.986
27. 48 Alex Bowman Ally Chevrolet 53.813 177.950
28. 9 Chase Elliott NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet 53.940 177.531
29. 41 Cole Custer Feeding America/Wow Wow Chevrolet 53.943 177.521
30. 17 Chris Buescher Fastenal Ford 53.964 177.452
31. 62 Noah Gragson(i) Wendy?s $5 Biggie Bag/Beard Oil Chevrolet 53.989 177.369
32. 38 Todd Gilliland # First Phase Credit Card Ford 54.178 176.751
33. 7 Corey LaJoie Raze Energy Chevrolet 54.205 176.663
34. 51 Cody Ware Nurtec ODT Ford 54.677 175.138
35. 44 Greg Biffle Morehouse College Chevrolet 54.791 174.773
36. 15 David Ragan Envision Ford 55.118 173.736
37. 78 B.J. McLeod Motorsport Games Ford 55.129 173.702
38. 55 J.J. Yeley(i) Hex.com Ford 55.662 172.038
39. 77 Landon Cassill(i) Fox Nation Chevrolet 0.000 0.000