NASCAR Southern 500 starting lineup: Christopher Bell wins his third pole of the season at Darlington

Bell has now won three poles in the last eight races

By Steven Taranto

Sep 2, 2023 at 3:02 pm ET • 1 min read

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Christopher Bell won the pole for the Cook Out Southern 500 in qualifying on Saturday afternoon, posting a lap of 29.065 (169.193 mph) in the final round to earn his third pole of 2023. All of Bell's 2023 poles have come in the last eight races, as his Southern 500 pole now complements the poles he previously won at New Hampshire and Michigan.

Bell led the way as nine of the top 10 starting spots were taken by playoff drivers, with a noticeable disparity among the manufacturers. While three Toyotas will start in the first three starting spots and seven Fords made the final round of qualifying, not a single Chevrolet qualified inside the top 10. Kyle Busch, one of seven playoff drivers who did not make the final round of qualifying, was the fastest Chevy in 11th.

Four playoff contenders qualified outside the top 20, including the two top seeds in the playoffs entering the Round of 16. William Byron, who won at Darlington in the spring, was only able to muster a 23rd-place qualifying effort. Meanwhile, regular season champion Martin Truex Jr. will start deepest in the field of all playoff contenders in 31st.

The surprise of qualifying was Carson Hocevar, who qualified 15th in just his second career Cup Series start behind the wheel of the Legacy Motor Club No. 42. Hocevar, a playoff contender in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, will also drive for Legacy M.C. at Kansas and Bristol.