Bell claims Darlington pole in first race of Cup playoffs

Christopher Bell will start the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs in front after winning the pole for Sunday’s Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington (South Carolina) Raceway with a fast lap of 29.065 seconds at 169.193 mph. The 28-year-old, who scored his fourth pole this season and third in the past eight races, will start beside Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin. In all, playoff drivers took the first nine qualifying spots in the 36-car field. Las Vegas native Kyle Busch, also in the 16-driver playoff field, will start 11th.

■ NASCAR Xfinity: At Darlington, S.C., Denny Hamlin passed series points leader Austin Hill on a final overtime restart to win the Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help A Hero 200 for the 42-year-old’s 18th series win, sixth at Darlington Raceway and first since 2017. Hill placed second. John Hunter Nemecheck, who has a series-high five wins this season, led a race-high 99 of the 148 laps and took third. Las Vegas natives Riley Herbst and Kyle Busch were sixth and ninth in the 38-car field.

■ Indycar: At Portland, Ore., Graham Rahal edged runner-up and reigning Portland winner Scott Mclaughlin by 0.033 seconds in Bitnile.com Grand Prix qualifying for the 34-year-old Honda driver’s fifth pole and second this season. Chip Ganassi Racing teammates Scott Dixon and Alex Palou, the lone drivers who can capture the season title, will start fourth and fifth, respectively.

■ Formula One: At Monza, Italy, Carlos Sainz Jr. edged runner-up and runaway series Max Verstappen by 0.013 seconds in Italian Grand Prix qualifying for the 29-year-old Ferrari driver’s fourth pole and first this season. Verstappen, the two-time defending series champion, has won 11 of the 13 races for unbeaten Red Bull this season and is chasing a record 10th straight victory.

Luca Bruno The Associated Press Carlos Sainz acknowledges cheers Saturday after edging runaway Formula One leader Max Verstappen for Italian Grand Prix pole position by 0.013 seconds in Monza, Italy.