Christopher Bell rang his way into the Championship 4 with a dramatic Xfinity 500 win at Martinsville. (Photo: Kevin Ritchie | The Podium Finish)
MARTINSVILLE, Virginia – If Christopher Bell had to be compared to a baseball legend, in terms of postseason success, perhaps he is NASCAR’s version of David Ortiz.
Sure, the 27-year-old Norman, Oklahoma native may not be “Big Papi” but he has a penchant for walk off dramatics.
Bell captured an exciting victory at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL that advanced him into the Round of 8.
On Sunday afternoon at Martinsville Speedway, Bell topped his recent triumph at the ROVAL by 0.526 miles.
Starting deep in the field from the 20th position, Bell roared his way to a sixth place finish in Stage 1 and a fifth in Stage 2.
No doubt, the driver of the No. 20 DeWalt Toyota Camry had a stellar car that was ready for the Xfinity 500.
Bell drove his way into the lead on Lap 324 when he passed by Denny Hamlin, his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate. He relinquished the number one spot during a caution period for JJ Yeley’s Turn 3 spin on Lap 394.
Otherwise, Bell had the car to beat in the late stages of the 500-lap race.
That said, the win was not easily in Bell’s hands when Landon Cassill’s Turn 3 crash on Lap 468 prompted a plethora of pit strategies for the lead lap contenders.
New players emerged namely in the form of Chase Briscoe, Kyle Larson and William Byron and Brad Keselowski.
Suddenly, Bell had his work cut out for him as he had to get past the quartet if he wanted to continue his championship quest.
Needless to say, the Oklahoman was not going to be denied as he muscled past Keselowski, Byron and Larson.
Before too long, it was a battle between Briscoe and Bell.
With five laps remaining, Bell made his way past Briscoe, taking the lead with authority.
Bell went on to tally his third win of the season, besting Larson by 0.869 seconds.
By all means, Bell was ecstatic and shocked about his well timed victory.
Bell came ready to play at Martinsville. (Photo: Kevin Ritchie | The Podium Finish)
“I can’t believe it, man. To come here in Martinsville, this place has always been so tough on me. Just pre-race looking up, seeing all the fans, this place is packed,” Bell observed. “I don’t even know what to say.
“Just thank you so much to DeWalt, Rheem, Toyota, everyone on this Joe Gibbs Racing 20 team. They believed in me since day one.”
Understandably, the versatile racer reflected on his growing pains at the paperclip shaped track, particularly in NASCAR’s premier division.
“We went to Xfinity and did pretty well, struggled on the Cup side for the first little bit,” he recalled. “They stayed with me. Very appreciative to be here. I don’t even know what to say.”
However, Bell was able to sing his praises for his No. 20 team, the new incarnation of the Killer B’s.
“Man, I say it all the time, but the driver is just a small piece of the puzzle for these races,” he said. “The reason why this car won today is because it was the best car on the racetrack. Adam Stevens, Tyler William, this entire 20 group, they just never give up.”
Preparation and confidence still matter in the high stakes world of NASCAR Cup Series competition.
Couple those with a driver like Bell and there is no telling where the limits are in terms of a potential championship for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series. Championship Race (3 p.m. ET on NBC).
Perhaps this may be a sign of things to come at Phoenix Raceway. (Photo: Kevin Ritchie | The Podium Finish)
“When our back is against the wall, looks like it’s over, they show up and give me the fastest car out here,” he remarked. “I don’t know, man. Words can’t describe this feeling.”
Stage 1 Top 10 Finishers
Hamlin-Elliott-Custer-Larson-Briscoe/Bell-Blaney-Chastain-Suárez-Almirola
Stage 2 Top 10 Finishers
Hamlin-Elliott-Larson-Custer-Bell/Blaney-Logano-Chastain-Suárez-Wallace
Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Top 10 Finishers
Bell-Larson-Blaney-Chastain-Hamlin/Logano-Byron-Wallace-Briscoe-Elliott
