Christopher Bell riding the wall in Turns 3 and 4 on the final lap of the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday, November 3, 2024. (Photo: Phil Cavali | The Podium Finish)
RIDGEWAY, Va. — After taking the checkered flag at Martinsville Speedway, Christopher Bell was listed as the final driver to clinch a Championship 4 berth after making a last-lap pass to equal the points between him and William Byron.
On the final lap heading into Turns 3 and 4, Bubba Wallace began dropping back. Bell, needing to gain one position to advance, overdrove the corner, causing him to wash up the track and get into the wall. Bell then gassed it up and briefly rode the wall in a move reminiscent of Ross Chastain’s “Hail Melon” move in 2022 to advance to the Championship 4.
The reason that one position was so important and why he was originally listed as “advanced” is because Bell held the tie-breaker over Byron for having the best finish between the two in the Round of 8, which was a second-place finish at Las Vegas.
Immediately after, though, NASCAR began reviewing the final lap and after a near 30-minute wait, it was ruled that Byron would advance and Bell would be eliminated.
Christopher Bell wall-riding trying to pass Bubba Wallace (23) to advance to the Championship 4. (Photo: Phil Cavali | The Podium Finish)
NASCAR ruled that Bell violated a safety rule that was put in place after the 2022 season in reaction to Chastain’s move. As a result, Bell was dropped from finishing in 18th to 22nd, handing the final spot in the finale to Byron.
The ruling resulted in heartbreak for Bell, who was looking for his third consecutive Championship 4 appearance and has statically been the best driver during the Playoffs. He also believed that his move was not intentionally done and was different from Chastain’s two years ago.
“I understand that rule is made to prevent people from riding the wall, but my move was completely different than what Ross’ was,” Bell said. “I got loose entering the corner and slid right into the fence. So, I don’t know what else to say.”
On the flip side, Byron obviously believed that Bell should have been penalized and that he and his No. 24 team should advance, but was not happy about how the race concluded.
“I’m not happy for anything but the rule is what it is for the crossover gain over there (Turns 3 and 4),” said Byron. “It is what it is and we’ll go race, I’m just proud of my team.”
Christopher Bell during the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway. (Photo: Joshua White | The Podium Finish)
There was also controversy surrounding the speculated manufacturer manipulation in the closing laps of the race involving both Toyota and Chevrolet.
It started when Byron began falling through the running order and Austin Dillon and Chastain, two Chevrolet drivers, caught him in the closing laps. Chastain and Dillon then began running side-by-side behind Byron, seeming to protect him from losing any more positions.
Soon after, Wallace began fading late in the race. Over the radio, he told the team that he thought he had a tire going down, leading to even more speculation.
Clips from Dillon’s radio were also played during NBC’s “NASCAR America Post Race” show, adding to what has already been one of the most controversial NASCAR Cup Series seasons in recent memory.
“Unfortunately, I was on the bad side of it. Made a lot of mistakes, and ran a sloppy race. It is a shame that it comes down to a ball-and-strike call like that,” Bell said. “You can look at both sides of the fence, the Chevy organization had a lot of blocking going on so that the (No.) 24 (Byron) didn’t lose positions.
“I slid into the wall (in Turns 3 and 4) and kept my foot in it. I guess that is a losing move.”
