NASCAR
BRISTOL, Tenn – A dirt ringer is finally victorious on Bristol Dirt, with three-time Chili Bowl Nationals winner Christopher Bell taking home the sword. For the Toyota driver who made the 2022 Championship 4, Bristol marks Bell’s first win of 2023 and his fifth top-five in eight races. Falling short of the title a year ago, Bell appears on track for an even bigger year in 2023.
While Bell was a prerace favorite, all oddsmakers were pinned on polesitter Kyle Larson. Last week’s Richmond winner, the 5 led wire-to-wire in Stage 1.
Larson’s luck would fade though after being put back in traffic, as the 5 would spin himself out trying to make up time. Larson’s night was not over yet though, as slight contact and retaliation from Ryan Preece resulted in the 41 sending the 5 hard into the outside wall and out of the race.
A look at what happened between @RyanPreece_ and @KyleLarsonRacin. pic.twitter.com/Th0bKeN9XX
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) April 10, 2023
Just before Larson’s race-ending incident, Christopher Bell took over from Stage 2 winner Tyler Reddick. A renowned dirt veteran as decorated as Larson, the 20 came to play in Stage 3.
As laps wound down, a great battle was shaping up for the lead between Bell, Reddick, and Austin Dillon. A rash of late yellows kept the field bunched up, as the final restart came with just eight laps left.
The three fastest soon retook the top three spots, as Reddick began chasing down Bell late. Up until the last lap, the 45 grew bigger in the 20’s rearview mirror. An untimely crash and caution would end the race a half-lap early though, sealing the win for Bell.
“Man, let me tell you, these are some of the longest laps of my entire life,” Bell said. “This place is so much fun, whether it is dirt or concrete. Whenever the cushion got up there on the top, it was very tough because you couldn’t drive it super hard otherwise you’d get sucked in.
“If you got your right front into it, you’d push a little bit. If you got your right rear into it, you’d slide. It was a lot of fun.
“I’m so grateful to be here driving this No. 20 for DeWalts, Joe Gibbs Racing. That was a lot of fun.”
Career win number five for Bell locks him into his third-straight Playoffs, as the seventh different winner of 2023. Bell has only ever entered the postseason with one regular season win however, so it will be interesting to see if he can reverse this trend.
Behind Bell and Reddick, the top-10 on Bristol Dirt were: Austin Dillon, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chase Briscoe, Justin Haley, Martin Truex Jr., Todd Gilliland, Kevin Harvick, and Ty Gibbs. Hear from some of these drivers below.
From one win to the site of another, Christopher Bell is the defending winner of next week’s venue. Sunday will see the Cup Series compete at Martinsville Speedway in the NOCO 400. The green flag will fly at NASCAR’s oldest track at 3:00 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. Can Martinsville see an eighth different winner in 2023, or will a familiar face take home the grandfather clock?
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo Credit to Peter Stratta/TSJSports
