NASCAR Cup Series driver Christopher Bell has a chance to do something very few drivers in the sport’s history have ever accomplished.
Bell has won the past three Cup Series races. A win at Sunday’s Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway would give him four in a row, and he would become the ninth driver in the sport’s modern era (since 1972) to do so.
But Bell isn’t resting on his laurels.
“I’m excited for it, but nothing that has happened the last three weeks means anything for this week, and everything is still ahead of me,” Bell said. “Nothing is set, and we have to go out there and perform. As soon as the green flag is drawn in practice, we have to qualify well and we have to execute in the race.”
Bell qualified 13th (28.984 seconds, 186.310 mph) for the Pennzoil 400 at the 1½-mile oval. The green flag is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. Sunday. Michael McDowell won the pole with a lap of 28.883 seconds (186.961 mph).
All eight drivers who have won four in a row are in the NASCAR Hall of Fame, including Dale Earnhardt Sr., Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson. Richard Petty holds the record for most consecutive races won with 10.
Bell said he’s received text messages from Johnson, who still races part-time with the team he co-owns, Legacy Motor Club, after each win. Bell, a 30-year-old from Norman, Oklahoma, said it’s surreal to look at the names he could join while still relatively young in his Cup Series career.
“It’s special. It’s something that I take a lot of pride in,” Bell said. “It’s crazy to think about. Just the time that I’ve been into the Cup Series feels like a long time, but then you look at stuff like that, and you realize that I’m still pretty young in my career. I’m just trying to soak it all in and enjoy the moment.”
‘Try to beat me’
Las Vegas has been a strong track for Bell. He has three top-five finishes and two poles in the past four races at the track.
Bell and his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota team have left Las Vegas with a bitter taste in their mouths after the past two fall races at the track. Bell made a late charge in both races but finished second both times.
In 2023, Bell finished 0.082 seconds behind winner Kyle Larson and was second to Joey Logano in 2024 after leading a race-high 155 laps.
Still, Bell said he’s confident he can be in a position to win Sunday.
“I am optimistic about how we’re going to perform because this has been a strong track for us in the past. But I just try very hard to not get ahead of myself and understand it’s a new week, it’s another race and everybody is going to be bringing their best up to try to beat me,” Bell said. “I’m optimistic about how we’re going to perform, but I understand that it’s a tall task.”
McDowell claims pole
McDowell said he took a page out of Bell’s book to snag the pole. He pointed out that in Bell’s pole run in last fall’s race, Bell was able to keep his car low in turns 3 and 4.
“The car had a lot of speed and a lot of grip, and just studying and seeing how (Bell) was able to do that last year, that was the difference between him getting the pole and not,” McDowell said. “I felt like it was the right move to make.”
It’s the first pole of the season for McDowell and his No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet team.
“This was a true test for us,” McDowell said. “Places like Vegas, they challenge everything, aerodynamics, engine setup, you have to hit everything just right to be fast here. This was kind of that unknown of if we will have the speed that we’ve shown at other places, and we did.”
Four-time LVMS winner Logano (28.898 seconds, 186.864 mph) qualified second, and Austin Cindric (28.909, 186.793) will start third.
Defending race winner Larson will start 10th. In 2021 he won four consecutive races, but that included the non-points exhibition All-Star race. Larson said he respects what Bell is doing, but is hopeful he can snap his streak.
“If (Bell) wins this weekend, maybe it’s like, ‘All right, this is getting annoying,’” Larson said with a grin. “As a competitor and fan, it’s really neat because this sport is so tough. I respect it more than anything, but if it keeps going on too long, it’ll get annoying.”
Contact Alex Wright at [email protected]. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.
Up next
What: NASCAR Cup Series Pennzoil 400
When: 12:30 p.m. Sunday
Where: Las Vegas Motor Speedway
TV/radio: FS1; KXNT-AM (840)
Favorite: Kyle Larson +400
Schedule of events
Pennzoil 400 schedule at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Schedule is subject to change:
Sunday
8 a.m. — Ticket gates, Neon Garage and VIP suites open
8 a.m. — Speedway Children’s Charities live auction in the Draft Bar
10:15 a.m. — Pre-Race Track Pass access open (front-stretch, pass required)
11:40 a.m. — The Drivers Meeting (Neon Garage, pass required)
11:50 a.m. — Drivers red carpet walk (infield/front-stretch)
12:05 p.m. — NASCAR Cup Series driver introductions
12:30 p.m. — Pennzoil 400 NASCAR Cup Series race (267 laps)
