Speeding penalty costs Bell another Richmond win

RICHMOND, Va. — Christopher Bell had the best car Sunday night at Richmond Raceway but a familiar mistake on pit road cost him a win.

Bell started fifth and took the lead on lap 46, winning stage one on lap 70. Drama began on pit road during the stage break as he bumped Erik Jones and sent him spinning.

That didn’t hurt him much as he exited with the lead in stage two. Teammate Denny Hamlin passed him five laps later after a fierce side-by-side battle but Bell got the better of Hamlin and placed second to Daniel Suarez on lap 230.

In stage three, which began on lap 239, Bell took control again as he had option tires while Suarez had prime tires.

Then, everything fell apart on the first pit stop of the final stage. Officials nabbed Bell for speeding on pit road, putting the race mostly out of reach for him.

Crew chief Chris Sherwood, filling in for the injured Adam Stevens, kept him out longer to ensure better track position for him. Combined with a late-race caution that put Bell back on fresher tires, the strategy worked.

Still it wasn’t a win – it was a sixth-place finish. It was the same result as the spring when he finished sixth with a winning car after getting a speeding penalty in the final stage.

In the spring, Bell led nine laps. This time around, he led 122 laps, second only to teammate Denny Hamlin (124).

Bell did jump from eighth to sixth in the NASCAR Cup Series points standings. He also earned a playoff point for the stage win. Now, he has earned 25 playoff points, second only to Kyle Larson (28). 

Bell has now finished inside the Top-10 in seven of the last 10 races. He continues to shine on shorter tracks in 2024. He won at Phoenix and New Hampshire and finished fourth at Iowa and 10th at Bristol.

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