“That was the right call”: Kevin Harvick makes his opinions known about NASCAR’s ‘unfortunate’ Christopher Bell ruling

Kevin Harvick has given his take on Christopher Bell's Martinsville penalty that paved the way for William Byron's title fight. The retired NASCAR driver said the Joe Gibbs Racing driver could've steered through the turn without initiating a wall ride move and that the officials made the right call by penalizing the #20 Toyota driver.

The XFINITY 500 saw Bell finish 18th and punch his playoff ticket, becoming the only JGR driver in the Championship 4 race. However, the sweet moment was shortlived as NASCAR took stringent measures for his final lap move, putting him in P22 and a lap down. As a result, the #20 driver was stripped of his Phoenix spot, while the Hendrick Motorsports rival got his way in.

JGR's nine-time Cup Series race winner entered the 500-lap race as the highest-placed winless playoff driver above the elimination line and thus wasn't in a must-win situation. However, as NASCAR deemed the wall-ride move illegal following Ross Chastain's 'Hail Melon' wall-ride stunt in 2022, Bell's final lap approach ultimately cost him a spot in the title fight.

Harvick opined on Christopher Bell's penultimate lap move and concurred with NASCAR's ruling. He said (via Harvick Happy Hour).

"He did get loose, he did go up the racetrack, he did hit the wall, but unfortunately for him there's a camera inside the car. Just put the gas down and rode the wall. I think in that scenario he didn't really need to ride the wall, all he had to do is just wait to get the car back down the racetrack." (0:37).

The 2014 Cup Series champion added:

"I think that was the right call by NASCAR and and easy call based upon the hardcore driver opinions that happened after Martinsville in the Ross Chastain incident," (1:01).

Bell's exit made Byron the only HMS driver still alive in the title fight.

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"Extremely disappointing": JGR president slams NASCAR's as Christopher Bell gets removed from the title fight

It's worth mentioning that even though Christopher Bell couldn't etch a single win during the playoffs, his consistent performance ensured a spot in the next round. Since the 10-race road to championship began at Atlanta Motor Speedway, the #20 Toyota driver has claimed five top-5s and seven top-10s, with two consecutive runner-up finishes at Charlotte Roval and Las Vegas.

After the Martinsville infraction, Bell was dropped in the finishing order, rendering his points tally insufficient to outperform Byron. However, if NASCAR's pre-2014 playoff format had been implemented, the JGR driver would still have a shot at a Cup Series title. The system awarded the champion based on the maximum point made during the 10-race slate.

However, as the current system got reset after every third race and guaranteed every race winner an entry into the next round, only two Championship spots were left after Joey Logano and Tyler Reddick's Round of 8 wins. Thus, his consistent display throughout the playoffs failed to keep his title fight alive.

Following Christopher Bell's fateful weekend, JGR president Dave Alpern criticized the playoff system, saying (via Sirius XM NASCAR Radio).

"Extremely disappointing. I mean, that's the best way to say it. Let's face it, Christopher, the #20 team, they had a tough day yesterday, but the way this playoff system is set up, he had earned having a tough day based on, you know, his consistency and his great finishes up until that point."

If the previous playoff format prevailed, would Christopher Bell have etched the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series title? What do you think?