Heartbreak for Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin in Ally 400
LEBANON, Tenn. – Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin proved to have the two strongest cars in Ally 400 but misfortune prevented either of them from visiting victory lane Sunday at Nashville Superspeedway.
Hamlin qualified on the pole for Sunday’s race with Bell starting behind him in third in the second row. For most of the race, Bell had the fastest car in the field and swept the first two stages.
In all, he led 131 of the first 221 laps of the Ally 400. Then, under a caution with 78 laps to go, a myriad of pit strategies unfolded, putting Bell back in the pack. With 71 laps to go, Bell lost the nose, spun out and slammed the wall, ending his day.
Hamlin saw this as an opportunity. He led 70 laps and finished second and fourth in the stages.
While Bell had the best car, Hamlin had the better shot at the victory. After passing Ross Chastain for the lead with seven laps to go, Hamlin came within a mile of the white flag.
Then, Austin Cindric spoiled Hamlin’s party.
From a strategy standpoint, Hamlin was living on the edge. At first, crew chief Chris Gabehart believed they had only enough fuel to survive one overtime restart.
Instead, the No. 11 car stayed out for the first three overtime restarts.
With a fourth restart looming, Hamlin had to pit for fuel. Despite losing his bed for win No. 4 on the season, he still salvaged a 12th-place finish.
Neither result will have a big impact on their season in the grand scheme of things. Both are locked into the playoffs with three wins apiece. Hamlin currently sits third in the NASCAR Cup Series regular-season standings, -43 to points leader Kyle Larson. Bell currently sits sixth, -88 points to Larson.
Bell leaves Nashville with the most earned playoff points (24) among all Cup Series drivers, thanks to his three race wins (15 playoff points) and nine stage wins (9 playoff points). Hamlin has the third-most (19) with his three race wins and four stage wins.
If the playoff started today, Kyle Larson would start as the No. 1 seed with 38 playoff points (three race wins, eight stage wins, 15 points for regular-season points leader). Bell would be in the No. 2 seed with 29 playoff points (24 points earned, five points for sixth in regular-season standings).
The NASCAR Cup Series will try to follow up another wild Cup Series race at the Chicago Street Race next Sunday, with the Grant Park 165 set to go green at 4:30 P.M. ET.
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