Kansas Speedway is no yellow brick road, not even for NASCAR’s fiercest and finest drivers.
The Cup Series rolls into the 1.5-mile track for the AdventHealth 400 this weekend. It’s a location that has tended to captivate the masses in years past. The spring 2023 version of the race saw Denny Hamlin sweep past Kyle Larson on the last lap to notch the checkered flag. And who could forget Kurt Busch and Bubba Wallace’s wins at the site in 2022 — the first two victories in 23XI Racing history?
All of that is to say Kansas Speedway isn’t for the faint of heart. It can be a sinful siren, chewing up and spitting out glistening chariots without a care in the world.
MORE: Watch NASCAR at Kansas live with Fubo (free trial)
Track position is king at the asphalt-stricken colosseum. Who finds themselves in the most optimistic of positions ahead of Sunday’s contest? Here’s what you need to know about the pole winner and starting lineup for the 2024 AdventHealth 400.
Who won the AdventHealth 400 pole for 2024?
Christopher Bell took home the pole on Saturday, outlasting Trackhouse Motorsports star Ross Chastain to earn top billing for Sunday’s race.
Bell posted a lap time of 29.491 seconds, .065 seconds faster than Chastain.
It was Bell’s first pole this season. He has 11 poles to his name over the course of his career; three of those have come at Kansas.
“I love the high-speed places, the places where you’re on the verge of being wide-open or not being wide-open, and the intermediates have been really good for us,” Bell said.
Noah Gragson impressed with a third-place showing in qualifying, yet another positive result for the Stewart-Haas Racing youngster. The former Xfinity Series megastar has captured top-ten finishes in each of his past two outings. Could a third be on the cards come Sunday?
Rounding out the top-five for Sunday’s start is Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson and Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch.
AdventHealth 400 starting lineup 2024
| Starting pos. | Driver | Car No. | Team |
| 1. | Christopher Bell | 20 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 2. | Ross Chastain | 1 | Trackhouse Racing |
| 3. | Noah Gragson | 10 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 4. | Kyle Larson | 5 | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 5. | Kyle Busch | 8 | Richard Childress Racing |
| 6. | Ty Gibbs | 54 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 7. | Austin Cindric | 2 | Team Penske |
| 8. | Michael McDowell | 34 | Front Row Motorsports |
| 9. | Chase Elliott | 9 | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 10. | Chase Briscoe | 14 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 11. | Joey Logano | 22 | Team Penske |
| 12. | Chris Buescher | 17 | Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing |
| 13. | Martin Truex Jr. | 19 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 14. | Denny Hamlin | 11 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 15. | Tyler Reddick | 45 | 23XI Racing |
| 16. | Austin Dillon | 3 | Richard Childress Racing |
| 17. | Josh Berry | 4 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 18. | Alex Bowman | 48 | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 19. | Jimmie Johnson | 84 | Legacy Motor Club |
| 20. | Corey Heim | 43 | Legacy Motor Club |
| 21. | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 47 | JTG Daughtery Racing |
| 22. | Carson Hocevar | 77 | Spire Motorsports |
| 23. | Bubba Wallace | 23 | 23XI Racing |
| 24. | Zane Smith | 71 | Spire Motorsports |
| 25. | Todd Gilliland | 38 | Front Row Motorsports |
| 26. | Ryan Blaney | 12 | Team Penske |
| 27. | Daniel Suarez | 99 | Trackhouse Racing |
| 28. | Corey LaJoie | 7 | Spire Motorsports |
| 29. | John Hunter Nemechek | 42 | Legacy Motor Club |
| 30. | Brad Keselowski | 6 | Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing |
| 31. | Harrison Burton | 21 | Wood Brothers Racing |
| 32. | Ryan Preece | 41 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 33. | Daniel Hemric | 31 | Kaulig Racing |
| 34. | Austin Hill | 33 | Richard Childress Racing |
| 35. | Justin Haley | 51 | Rick Ware Racing |
| 36. | William Byron | 24 | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 37. | Riley Herbst | 15 | Rick Ware Racing |
| 38. | Derek Kraus | 16 | Kaulig Racing |
