"I got a lot of time to recover for tomorrow" - Christopher Bell on Xfinity Series win in Darlington before Cook Out Southern 500 

After securing his 13th career pole, Christopher Bell won Saturday's Xfinity Series Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help A Hero 200 race at Darlington. Reflecting on his win, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver mentioned that despite the sweltering temperatures inside the car, racing on tracks like Darlington always has its perks.

Bell won his second Xfinity Series win of the season following an overtime restart. Throughout the afternoon, Bell was a dominant force but briefly relinquished the lead to his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Sheldon Creed. The turning point came when a caution for AJ Allmendinger played to Bell's advantage. Emerging from the pits, Bell and Cole Custer were leading, with Creed falling behind due to a slower stop, rejoining the race in third place.

At the close of Stage 1, Christopher Bell narrowly maintained his lead over Austin Hill. However, it was Sheldon Creed who captured the second stage, fending off Bell to claim the victory.

In the closing laps, Creed appeared poised for his first Xfinity Series win, leading for seven of the final nine laps. Yet, the race took a turn when Allmendinger and Custer collided, triggering an overtime scenario. In the final restart, Christopher Bell managed to outpace Cole Custer, securing his second series victory of the season.

During a media session, Christopher Bell opened up about the opportunity to race in the Xfinity Series at Darlington, sharing that he was informed about the chance about a month prior. With the Cup Series race on the same track looming the next day, Bell expressed his thoughts, saying:

"I mean, it's hot. It's really, really hot. But, I think I got a lot of time to recover for tomorrow. It's a night race. So, I think it's beneficial to do these things and especially race tracks like Darlington where it's really tough. It was a bummer whenever I really started falling off there at the end of third stage and then Sheldon got by me, but it's never over until it's over. I've learned that many of times."

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Christopher Bell on Darlington Raceway race no longer being part of the playoff schedule

Previously, the NASCAR Cup Series race, the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, was an integral part of the playoff races, even serving as the inaugural race of the Round of 16 last year. This year, however, it has been shifted to the finale of the regular season, a change that Christopher Bell welcomes.

He shared his thoughts, saying,

"It is actually nice to have a Southern 500 out of the playoffs…with it being the first race of the playoffs like it was the past couple of years, it did feel like you had to be a little bit cautious racing that event because points were so important whereas now it being the regular season finale…I do feel like we can be a little bit more aggressive and try to go all out for a race win."

Currently, Tyler Reddick is at the top of the driver standings, with Christopher Bell in sixth place, trailing the 23XI Racing driver by 86 points.