Why did NASCAR disqualify Christopher Bell? Martinsville controversy explored

Christopher Bell finished the Martinsville race in P18 and successfully punched his playoff ticket, dethroning his immediate playoff rival William Byron. However, the savory moment was shortlived as the Joe Gibbs Racing driver's final lap 'Hail-Melon' remake move prompted NASCAR to slap Bell with a grievous penalty, disqualifying him from the title race and opening the path for the Hendrick Motorsports rival's maiden Cup Series title.

The XFINITY 500 turned out to be extremely chaotic for Bell. The #20 Toyota driver started in 16th and stooped to a 21st-place finish in Stage 1. Though the JGR driver rallied for a P6 finish in the second stage, he was below P15 as Ryan Blaney took the white flag as leader. As a result, Bell had less than 0.526 miles to decide his Cup Series fate.

In haste, Christopher Bell attempted a move similar to what Ross Chastain did in the 2022 season at the same venue. The JGR driver was successful in his bid and outperformed Bubba Wallace to enter the Championship 4 race as a title contender.

However, soon after the unofficial results came out, NASCAR deemed the #20 Toyota's move illegal and slapped the driver with a hefty payback, putting him a lap down in P22, and disqualifying him from the title fight.

Though William Byron made it through, he expressed unhappiness about his promotion at the cost of his rival's removal from the playoffs.

Christopher Bell opens up on his Martinsville race and the painful wall-ride penalty

Christopher Bell was the highest-place winless driver in the playoffs followed by William Byron in fourth, as the drivers above the elimination line. Joey Logano and Tyler Reddick entered in a comfortable position, courtesy of their respective wins at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Notably, the #20 JGR driver eyed his third consecutive Championship 4 entry and first Cup Series title after failing to etch it the previous two times. In 2022, the nine-time Cup Series race winner settled in 3rd, while in 2023, he rounded up 4th rank in the standings.

Bell denied emulating Ross Chastain's move and expressed that it was the aftermath of his #20 Toyota getting loose while entering Turn 4 that it wall-slammed the outside wall for some distance before returning on the track.

"I don't know what to say...I understand the rule is made to prevent people from riding the wall but my move was completely different than what Ross' was. I got loose getting into the corner and slid right into the fence," Bell said (1:02).

JGR's 2024 title fight is over, as neither Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell, nor Martin Truex Jr. is a title contender in the Phoenix race.