"Damaged the car early and pretty much story of our night": Christopher Bell dejected after a horrible start to his NASCAR playoff run

Christopher Bell and the #20 Joe Gibbs Racing team left the Darlington Raceway scratching their heads after an eventful night. They converted a front-row start to a 23rd-place finish over the course of the 500-mile race.

Bell had been setting the pace since the practice session as he topped the charts and went on to qualify on pole for the Southern 500. He started the race on a strong note as he led the first stint of the race. However, it was the best part of his outing after which his evening unraveled following a botched pitstop.

It was Christopher Bell's first stop with the new pit crew, where the jack dropped on the right side costing him the race lead. He dropped to sixth and rallied back but hit the wall in Turn 2 after which his car lost all its speed.

"Just got in the marbles in Turn 2 and damaged the car early and that was pretty much the story of our night," he said post-race (via Peter Stratta).

Joe Gibbs Racing had swapped the pit crews of Ty Gibbs and Christopher Bell before the playoffs, as the #54 pit crew was consistent and quicker. Gibbs was also not in the playoffs and hence it made sense to give the playoff contender a faster pit crew. However, the team failed to make an impression in its first outing.

NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out Southern 500

After the pitstop mishap, Bell finished eighth in the first stage and was out of the top 10 at the end of the second stage. Crew Chief Adam Stevens also gambled with an alternate strategy but the car lacked pace after the collision with the wall.

Bell wound up finishing 23rd in the Southern 500, failing to make the most of the weekend which started on a promising note. His playoff teammates also didn't fare well either, as Martin Truex Jr. finished 18th while Denny Hamlin fetched a 25th-place finish.

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Christopher Bell looking forward to the second round in Kansas Speedway for a better outing

After starting his playoff campaign on the wrong foot, Christopher Bell is eager to race at Kansas Speedway, which will host the second race of the Round of 16.

The Toyota drivers have historically done well in the 1.5-mile oval in Kansas with Denny Hamlin winning the AdventHealth 400 on the track earlier this season. Bell hopes to revive his campaign in Kansas as he believes he has the pace but needs clean execution.

"We have speed, we had speed a lot and I know that Kansas we're are gonna be fast again, that's been a really good track for Toyotas. I know that we have the speed to do it, just gotta put it all together."

Christopher Bell is currently 12th in the standings, one point above the cut-off mark.