LAS VEGAS: Christopher Bell was the class of the field in the South Point 400—but he didn’t bring home the hardware.
Bell won the pole on Saturday. He finished second in the first stage and won Stage 2. He led 155 of the first 229 laps of the race before the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing team elected to pit for fuel with 38 circuits remaining in the contest.
Despite a valiant charge from back into the top 10—and ultimately to second-place behind winner Joey Logano on the final lap — Bell could not mask his disappointment at the finish.
“I’m just bummed, bummed and disappointed,” Bell said. “I’m proud of the effort, and clearly the car was super, super fast today. All the guys on the 20 car did an amazing job. The pit crew did absolutely flawless, and we didn’t walk away with it today.”
One pit stop made all the difference. Logano’s No. 22 Team Penske Ford, packed full of fuel, was able to go the distance following the Lap 194 round of service.
Bell was the first driver out of the pits with an 8.8-second stop under caution on that same circuit. Logano lined up ninth for the Lap 198 restart. Bell came to the pits with Alex Bowman to top off with fuel from the lead with 38 laps remaining.
While Bell cycled up to eighth after 10 laps—and was running fifth with 20 circuits to go—the No. 22 team’s strategy to stay out, combined with a push from Ryan Blaney with seven laps remaining, enabled Logano to hold a 0.662-second advantage at the finish.
Crew chief Adam Stevens came over the radio and told Bell, “That sucks, buddy. But we didn’t miss a beat.”
Bell and the No. 20 team were nearly perfect on Sunday — but the Paul Wolfe-led No. 22 crew was craftier–and on the way to the Championship 4 Round at Phoenix. And for the second straight year, Bell finished second after claiming the top spot on the grid during qualifying.
“We’ve been able to do some special things like this in the past and when you continue to do it, it’s not luck,” Wolfe said. “This was a team effort—a team win today.
“I’m sure we made a lot of people upset with this win today—people that maybe weren’t expecting it. But ultimately, everyone did their part. And it doesn’t say who was the fastest car on the trophy. It says who won and who’s going to Phoenix. And that’s us. And that’s all that matters at the end of the day.”
Consider Bell among the “upset” group. The 29-year-old driver is a contender. The last two years, he and the No. 20 team have advanced to the Championship 4 Round—only to fall short both times.
“Speed has not been the problem, really all year long,” Bell said. “A little bit of lack of execution and a little bit of it just hasn’t fallen our way, back to Chicago, Gateway, here–all those races could have been wins, and they’re not. They’re ‘L’s.”
Certainly, Bell carries tremendous confidence into next weekend’s race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, where he is the defending winner of the race. After Sunday’s loss, however, Bell knows that even with the fastest car and the most competent pit crew, no driver is a lock until the checkered flag falls.
“It’s a whole new race next week,” Bell said. “The track means nothing for next week. Fortunately, we were able to go and win in Homestead (last year).
“But nothing’s guaranteed. Just because I ran second today doesn’t mean I’m going to finish anywhere next week. Yeah, I think the points look pretty good, which is a positive. You’re never safe in this deal. We needed to win today. Unfortunately, we didn’t.”
Follow Lee Spencer on Twitter @CandiceSpencer or email her at: [email protected].
