Christopher Bell celebrates special playoff win at Homestead just days after underplaying his chances at Miami NASCAR circuit

For a second year in a row, Christopher Bell has won his way into the Championship 4 at the Phoenix Raceway. Bell had a whirlwind of an outing at Homestead-Miami Speedway before he ended up on the victory lane.

Last weekend in Las Vegas, the #20 Joe Gibbs Racing driver was denied a victory by a margin of a few hundredths of a second. With the second-place finish, Bell found himself below the cutline and was not confident about his chances at the 1.5-mile oval in Miami.

Ironically, Christopher Bell said earlier this weekend that he wished NASCAR raced at another track as his record at Homestead wasn't good. Out of the three starts he made on the oval, he had an eighth-place best finish with an average finish of 13th. He said in an interview with Racer.com:

“I wish it was another track, I’ll be honest with you,” Bell said earlier. “I do wish we were going to a handful of other racetracks. My track record there is full of ups and downs, so it’s not my most confident track, but it’s a great racetrack. It’s a place where, if you’re fast, you can control your own destiny.”

The 28-year-old might be eating his own words now as the Homestead-Miami Speedway has put him in the Championship 4, in the hunt for his maiden Cup Series title.

Last year, Bell was in a must-win situation in the penultimate race of the season and won the elimination race at Martinsville to book his playoff spot. This year, he has achieved the feat a week earlier in Homestead and will be heading to Martinsville with an eased mindset.

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Christopher Bell credits his team for victory at Homestead

Christopher Bell faced plenty of obstacles en route to the victory lane on Sunday, October 22. He was handling a tight car and appeared frustrated over the radio.

Christopher Bell at Homestead

He ran in the top 10 in the first stage but dropped back to 18th in the second, and was close to getting lapped by the leaders. Crew chief Adam Stevens and the #20 team continued to make adjustments which brought the car alive late in the race.

The chaotic final stage also helped Bell recover when Kyle Larson took himself out, Denny Hamlin collided with the barriers, and Martin Truex Jr. came down the pit road due to engine issues.

“I’ve got the best team behind me,” Bell told NBC Sports after the race. “Honestly, I don’t know, man. That race was a whirlwind. I was ready to throw the towel in there in the second stage. I got frustrated on the radio.”

“Adam (Stevens, crew chief) kept after it. Adam, Tyler (Allen, engineer) , William (Hartman, engineer), the guys back at the shop were working over the adjustments and gave me what I needed. Whenever we got some clean air, this thing was really good," he added.

Christopher Bell is also the only driver from the 2022 Championship 4 contenders to reach the season finale this year as well.