The Cook Out 400 starting lineup is set, and Christopher Bell leads the field at Martinsville Speedway. With a 19.718-second lap, he edged out Chase Elliott for the pole. But securing the top spot is just the beginning. Behind him, seasoned contenders like Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano are ready to challenge. Can Bell hold off the competition and claim victory? The battle for Martinsville supremacy is about to unfold, and every lap will test skill, speed, and strategy.
Key Highlights
- Christopher Bell secured pole position at Martinsville with a lap time of 19.718 seconds, his first pole of the 2025 season.
- Bell’s strong performance in practice, ranking second, suggests good form heading into the Cook Out 400.
- Chase Elliott, starting second, poses a strong challenge, only 0.017 seconds behind Bell in qualifying.
- Experienced drivers like Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano present formidable competition in the top starting positions.
- Bell’s ability to convert pole into victory will depend on race strategy and navigating Martinsville’s challenging track.
Christopher Bell Secures Pole for Cook Out 400 at Martinsville
In the heart of Virginia, where the sweet tea flows as freely as the anticipation, Christopher Bell made headlines by wrangling the pole position for the Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway.
Piloting his trusty No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, Bell zipped around the track with a lightning-fast lap of 19.718 seconds. This marked his initial pole of the 2025 season and, impressively, his debut pole at Martinsville.
Folks around the speedway whispered of Bell’s skill, noting his subsequent-fastest practice session, trailing only Bubba Wallace.
Yet, it was on qualifying day that Bell truly shone, edging out Chase Elliott in his No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet by a mere 0.017 seconds.
As the engines cool and the dust settles, Bell stands proudly at the helm, ready to turn this newfound pole position into a victory, reminding everyone that the race is far from over.
Full Starting Lineup for the 2025 Cook Out 400
Once the pole position buzz settles around Christopher Bell, folks shift their attention to the full lineup of the Cook Out 400, where the grid is stacked with talent and fierce competitors.
| Pos | Car | Driver |
| 1 | 20 | Christopher Bell |
| 2 | 9 | Chase Elliott |
| 3 | 48 | Alex Bowman |
| 4 | 5 | Kyle Larson |
| 5 | 11 | Denny Hamlin |
| 6 | 17 | Chris Buescher |
| 7 | 22 | Joey Logano |
| 8 | 23 | Bubba Wallace |
| 9 | 45 | Tyler Reddick |
| 10 | 24 | William Byron |
| 11 | 19 | Chase Briscoe |
| 12 | 8 | Kyle Busch |
| 13 | 54 | Ty Gibbs |
| 14 | 21 | Josh Berry |
| 15 | 71 |
Michael McDowell
|
| 16 | 42 |
John Hunter Nemechek
|
| 17 | 1 | Ross Chastain |
| 18 | 3 | Austin Dillon |
| 19 | 38 | Zane Smith |
| 20 | 2 | Austin Cindric |
| 21 | 60 | Ryan Preece |
| 22 | 41 | Cole Custer |
| 23 | 16 | AJ Allmendinger |
| 24 | 4 | Noah Gragson |
| 25 | 34 | Todd Gilliland |
| 26 | 99 | Daniel Suarez |
| 27 | 6 |
Brad Keselowski
|
| 28 | 10 | Ty Dillon |
| 29 | 77 | Carson Hocevar |
| 30 | 7 | Justin Haley |
| 31 | 43 | Erik Jones |
| 32 | 12 | Ryan Blaney |
| 33 | 88 |
Shane van Gisbergen
|
| 34 | 47 |
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
|
| 35 | 35 | Riley Herbst |
| 36 | 51 | Cody Ware |
| 37 | 66 | Casey Mears |
| 38 | 50 | Burt Myers |
In the runner-up spot, Chase Elliott, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, stands ready to pounce like a catfish in a creek. His teammates, Alex Bowman and Kyle Larson, sit in third and fourth, forming a Chevrolet trifecta that signals a clash of horsepower and strategy.
Denny Hamlin, a seasoned racer with Joe Gibbs Racing, holds fifth in his trusty Toyota, a whisker ahead of Chris Buescher in the RFK Racing Ford.
Seventh spot sees Joey Logano from Team Penske, a seasoned contender, while Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick, both in Toyotas for 23XI Racing, nestle in eighth and ninth.
William Byron rounds out the top ten, poised to turn every lap into a fight for dominance, making this race a spectacle of skill and speed.
Notable Stories from Qualifying
Amid the bustling excitement of qualifying, tales of old and new have emerged from the pits at Martinsville Speedway. The return of Casey Mears to the NASCAR scene feels like a warm hug from an old friend. After his No. 66 Ford failed inspection twice, he’ll be starting 37th, a humble position for the seasoned wheelman since his last race in 2019. Burt Myers, a rare gem in this Cup Series, claims the 38th spot, bringing a spark of novelty to the track.
Meanwhile, William Byron, the defending race winner, sets his sights on the front from a sturdy 10th position. With Christopher Bell leading the brigade, Sunday promises to be a contest of grit and gumption.
The stories from qualifying lay the groundwork for an exhilarating Cook Out 400.
News in Brief: Cook Out 400 Starting Lineup
As the dust settled on the high-stakes qualifying day, folks couldn’t help but wonder if young Christopher Bell, with his pole position, would ultimately wrangle a win at the ol’ Martinsville track. Tales of his grit have been whispered like a gentle southern breeze across the grandstands. The Cook Out 400 lineup’s set, and Bell stands ready at the helm, enthusiastic to turn pole dreams into victory stories told over sweet tea and barbecue.
ALSO READ: Cook Out 400 Qualifying Order: Who Will Take the Pole at Martinsville?
