'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Christopher Bell was best in points in the opening Saturday night race of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs at Bristol Motor Speedway. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver was the only one to finish in the top five three times in a row, including a fourth-place finish at Bristol.
Christopher Bell finished fifth in Darlington and third in Kansas last week, so he came into the Bristol race knowing he didn't have much to do. With excellent points in these first two races, he had already qualified for the Round of 12.
Trending
Bell and his #20 Toyota team, however, are competitors who wouldn't go down without a fight. They entered the 0.533-mile race track hoping to win and were on the verge of accomplishing this success.
Speaking to the media during the post-race interview, Bell revealed that he was displeased despite having a car with speed. In his statement, he stated:
“It’s terribly disappointing. That’s two weeks in a row we have had speed, and the car underneath me to win the race and haven’t done it.”
He then applauded his crew for the phenomenal work they did in bringing him a race-winning car, saying:
“Extremely proud of this 20 group. They keep bringing Camrys that are incredible to the racetrack. It makes me really excited about where we are going, especially Texas, which is one of my best race tracks. I’m proud of everyone on this group. Hopefully, we can carry this momentum.”
He then went on to add:
“Looking at the next seven races, I would say Texas is arguably the most important race, outside of Phoenix. Talladega, we all know how that is – there is going to be some lucky guys, and some unlucky guys. Texas is kind of the one place where you can control your destiny into the next round and the winner is going to feel really good if it is a playoff car.”
Despite the disappointment at Bristol, Christopher Bell managed to lock in into the Round of 12. He now looks forward to an outstanding performance in Texas, which he terms as one of his best tracks. He also added that Texas is the most important race in the next round of playoffs.
Christopher Bell to enter playoffs at Texas Motor Speedway with 13 points.
The points were reset at the start of the Round of 12 and Christopher Bell did not add to his win total. He fell from being the points leader to seventh among the 12 remaining drivers. He will enter the playoffs at Texas with 13 points, 27 points behind leader Chase Elliott.
Bell led 143 of 500 laps before being passed by Brad Keselowski on Lap 413 due to a flat tire. Unfortunately, Bell only had to do 22 laps later, bringing out the night's final caution. The two drivers also had issues on pit road, and with so few on the lead lap and a solid stop by Bell, they were still in contention for the win.
They recovered much quicker than others, scoring his sixth top-five finish in the last 10 weeks and his first career top-five in the Cup Series at Bristol. While no one expected Christopher Bell to be a serious championship threat entering the playoffs, the #20 driver will be a factor if they can keep this error-free race up.
