By: Zach Catanzareti, Staff Writer
In a span of 27 minutes, Christopher Bell went from elimination, to advancement, to elimination for next week’s Championship 4 in Phoenix.
The cause of such chaos? Well, a chaotic move.
Sitting one point short of William Byron, it was Bell who needed to make one pass before the checkered flag to secure his third straight Championship 4 appearance.
That pass occurred in Turn 3 on the final lap, where Bell blasted up the inside of a slowing Toyota of Bubba Wallace before impacting the wall and riding it off the exit and to the line.
Following a 27-minute waiting period, NASCAR deemed the pass illegal, as Bell utilized the wall to gain or maintain a position. The rule was set in place in 2022 when Ross Chastain rode the entirety of the Martinsville corner to advance.
“I mean, I made a mistake and I slid into the wall,” Bell said. “And unfortunately, you know, they ruled out as a safety violation.
“I don’t know what to say. I mean, I didn’t advance my position into the wall. I lost time on the racetrack.”
At the time of the move, Bell didn’t think a penalty was even in the cards given the circumstance of the initial contact with Wallace’s No. 23, who sent both cars sideways into the turn.
“I never once thought that’s what I would get penalized [for],” he said. “I didn’t think I was gonna get penalized at all. [Wallace] was sliding around like crazy. I don’t know if he was on old tires or what, but he just was sliding around really bad. As I was. That’s why I got in the wall.”
Bell was also critical of Chevrolet, whose drivers Austin Dillon and Ross Chastain appeared to block the racetrack by running side-by-side behind Byron to aid in a Chevy advancement.
Bell believes it was “clear” what was going on.
“[Byron] came back to me probably a straightaway or something.”
Despite the heartbreaker, Bell acknowledges the career year of 2024, which has seen three wins and career-highs in top fives (14), top 10s (22) and laps led (1,002).
“It just wasn’t meant to be today and wasn’t meant to be this year,” he said. “We accomplished a lot this year, and I’m proud of that.
“I’m not bitter. I’m proud of the successes that we’ve had in 2024. It’s a bummer to not go to Phoenix, because obviously that’s a track we’re really good at. But thankfully, I got a couple more years in my contract, so I’ll get another shot at it.”
It’s a sure thing that NASCAR wanted to knock out a contender for the 2024 championship by using the penalty card to take Bell out of the race.
Seems to me NASCAR has favorites on their books they want to race. Fans see other drivers pulling blocks and whatever else to further their standings and they get by with it.
If it wasn’t for my favorite driver, Bell, it would be a cold day, in you know where, before I would ever watch another NASCAR race as well as encouraging anyone else to do the same.
What a cheap shot by NASCAR.
It’s a sure thing that NASCAR wanted to knock out a contender for the 2024 championship by using the penalty card to take Bell out of the race.
Seems to me NASCAR has favorites on their books they want to race. Fans see other drivers pulling blocks and whatever else to further their standings and they get by with it.
If it wasn’t for my favorite driver, Bell, it would be a cold day, in you know where, before I would ever watch another NASCAR race as well as encouraging anyone else to do the same.
What a cheap shot by NASCAR.