“I hate calling the last lap a move”: Christopher Bell extremely clear about his ‘intentions’ as he reveals going by the NASCAR rulebook

NASCAR driver Christopher Bell recently expressed his views on his controversial last-lap move at Martinsville Speedway. Bell was initially in the final four, however, NASCAR deemed his hail melon move 'unsafe', costing him a spot in the title chase.

Christopher Bell, piloting Joe Gibbs Racing’s #20 Toyota, began the Xfinity 500 playoff race in P16 and worked his way up to contend for the lead by Stage 2. To his misfortune, a pit road issue forced him to the back, complicating his playoff position. Bell then faced a further setback when NASCAR penalized him for executing a last-lap wall ride maneuver, mirroring Ross Chastain's 2022 tactic, which ultimately hindered his bid for a Championship 4 spot.

During a media session a Phoenix Raceway, the #20 driver was asked his thoughts on whether he considered his hail melon move illegal. Bell confidently responded:

"I hate calling the last lap a move because it was not a move you know. My intentions were never to ride the wall, I didn't gain an advantage riding the wall, so it was it was not a move and I don't believe that I broke the rule."

He added:

"I feel cheated out of a chance to compete for a championship. It all stems from what happened earlier, 15-20(laps) to go, whenever the race got fixed and manipulated by Chevrolet. That forced our hands to do what we did and ultimately it forced me into a mistake on the last lap to get into the wall uh and I feel like I should never have been in that position. Had the race been ran fairly, the #24 car would have lost enough spots to get me into the final race."

Christopher Bell has been one of the most consistent Cup Series drivers of the 2024 season. Ahead of the season finale, Bell has finished in the top ten 22 times in 35 races. Moreover, the #20 driver also secured 3 wins and pole positions, averaging a finish of P13 overall.

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Christopher Bell berates Martinsville ‘race fixing’ scandal as he falls on the ‘losing side’

The Xfinity 500 playoff race was not short of controversy. Trackhouse Racing and Richard Childress Racing, who are powered by Chevrolet reportedly orchestrated a strategy in the Xfinity 500’s final stage to aid HMS driver William Byron’s advancement to the Championship 4. Christopher Bell recently commented on the same following his exit from the playoffs.

Austin Dillon and Ross Chastain allegedly fought Brad Keselowski’s #6 Ford, limiting his ability to move forward, while maintaining position behind Byron, who appeared to have the best shot at running a Chevy in the Championship 4.

Bell believes that the main reason he is not in the championship race is because of the race manipulation attempt by the Chevy drivers, as it put his playoff run in a tough spot.

"I could very clearly see the race manipulation, race fixing that was going on...It's tough I mean, this has been one of the hardest things that I've had to go through as a racecar driver. I believe cheated is the right word and we go through sessions at the beginning of the year to make sure that we don't do this and that unfortunately is what happened and I was on the losing side of it," Bell said [5:20]

All the teams and drivers involved in conspiring to manipulate race results were sanctioned heavy penalties by NASCAR. Meanwhile, Christopher Bell will start the final race of the season from P7. The race is scheduled on Sunday, November 10, at 3:00 PM ET.