The Las Vegas Motor Speedway was all abuzz this coolish Saturday morning as Joe Gibbs Racing’s ace, Christopher Bell, breezily sauntered to the pole position. As if taking a relaxing, victory-lap-esque spin on a quiet afternoon, his No. 20 JGR Toyota slinked around the 1.5-mile high bank effortlessly. Funnily enough, this marked Bell’s series-best sixth pole of the year and fourth in the previous eight races.

Joining him on the start line is equally competent sprinter Kyle Larson. But Larson, whose No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet was a paltry .010-second off the illustrious top speed, will have to play the runner-up come Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series South Point 400.

Bell, a seasoned champ with a predilection for living on the edge, stated, “Qualifying has been really fun really since the introduction of the Next Gen car – especially on the intermediate stuff – because it’s just right on the verge of holding your foot down and going wide open.” This Joeseph and his Technicolour Dream Car doesn’t just view the edge with brazen bravado; he relishes in it. He’s earned his spot with three Top-10 finishes in seven Vegas starts, culminating with a fifth place just this March.

Ever the subtle exhibitionist, Bell also offhandedly mentioned, “I know we may not be the championship favorite, but I know we have everything we need to do it.” And that’s where the real grit and steel of the man shines through.

Meanwhile, as they say in these parts, the Vegas news doesn’t stop just because it hits the fan, nor does our Saturday at the track.

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