Christopher Bell captures pole for AdventHealth 400 on action-packed day

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An action-packed Saturday at Kansas Speedway set the stage for a Sunday full of excitement in the AdventHealth 400.

Christopher Bell and his No. 20 Toyota Camry TRD will start from the Busch Light pole in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series showcase after a qualifying run of 179.527 mph. He topped Tyler Reddick, who will start on the outside of the front row in his No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro, with Kyle Larson, Austin Cindric and Kurt Busch rounding out the top-five qualifiers.

“I think it’s a great track for me,” Bell said. “I got my first Xfinity win here. Cup cars haven’t been great to me here, but I’ve ran really well.”

Bell is eager to change that luck shortly after 2 p.m. Sunday, when the drivers take the green flag in the AdventHealth 400. It’s the first of two NASCAR Cup Series races this season at the 1.5-mile palace of speed in America’s heartland.

And if Saturday’s racing doubleheader at Kansas is any indication, NASCAR fans are in for a super Sunday.

Nick Sanchez won the Dutch Boy 150 by holding off a hard charging Rajah Carruth in the final laps. After picking up his first ARCA Menards Series victory at Kansas Speedway last October, Sanchez took advantage of a late-race accident between Corey Heim and Drew Dollar to collect the third win of his budding career.

And then in the nightcap, Zane Smith put on a dominant display in the Hearth of America 200. Smith outlasted a late challenge from Ty Majeski to capture his third NASCAR Camping World Truck Series win of the season and the sixth of his career.

“It was really just an unbelievable truck,” Smith said. “So dang cool. That was one of my easier ones I’ve ever had to win, but that late-race restart scared me a little bit.”

Grant Enfinger ran third after charging from seventh in the final eight laps. Chandler Smith finished fourth after running out of fuel at the end of Stage 1 and losing a lap. Christian Eckes came home fifth, followed by pole winner John Hunter Nemechek, Matt DiBenedetto, Derek Kraus, Matt Crafton and Ben Rhodes.

Tickets for Sunday’s action can be purchased at www.kansasspeedway.com.

Kansas Speedway PR

Speedway Digest Staff
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