NASCAR playoffs at Kansas starting lineup: Christopher Bell wins his second straight postseason pole

Bell has taken the first two poles of the Round of 16 at Darlington and Kansas

By Steven Taranto

Sep 9, 2023 at 5:03 pm ET • 1 min read

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Christopher Bell won the pole for the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway in qualifying on Saturday, posting a lap of 29.954 (180.276 mph) in the final round to earn his second straight pole to open the NASCAR playoffs. Bell's pole is also his fourth overall this season, tying him for the most in the Cup Series with Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin.

Saturday's practice session saw several drivers have on-track issues, starting with William Byron, who had an issue with his right front suspension. Byron was forced back to pit road early in Group A practice after an upper control arm piece broke on his car, prompting his team to make repairs prior to qualifying.

Byron eventually timed in ninth, and NASCAR states he will not have to give up his starting position because the issue stemmed from the part rather than from the No. 24 team.

At the rear of the field is fellow playoff driver Kyle Busch, who blew a tire and smacked the wall in Turn 4 during Group B practice. Busch was one of two drivers to suffer tire failures in Group B, as Ty Gibbs blew a tire and hit the wall on the exit of Turn 2 just after Busch's incident.

Kyle Busch slides into the wall in practice. 😳 #NASCAR practice and qualifying on @USANetwork. pic.twitter.com/Ok4IfimAP9
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) September 9, 2023

Neither Busch nor Gibbs posted a qualifying time, and Busch's team will reportedly attempt to fix their primary car while Gibbs will go to a backup car for Sunday's race.

Making his Cup Series debut this weekend is Xfinity Series driver Sheldon Creed, who is in the No. 78 Chevrolet for Live Fast Motorsports. The 2020 Craftsman Truck Series champion qualified 34th for his first start.