NASCAR
Christopher Bell Sweeps Weekend at New Hampshire, Winning on Wet-Weather Tires
LOUDON, N.H. – One of the best to ever race around New Hampshire Motor Speedway won again in wild circumstances. Christopher Bell was the class of the field all day, but he had to manage racing on wet asphalt for the final 73 laps. The No. 20 was out front for most of the day. His most impressive showing though was searching late for the ever-changing optimal grip around the drying track. Counting yesterday’s Xfinity win, Bell now has seven New Hampshire triumphs in only 11 National Series starts at the Magic Mile.
Picking up right where he left off Saturday, Christopher Bell won Stage 1. Bell remained out front for most of Stage 2 as well, until Martin Truex Jr made a late pass around the outside following pit stops. A timely caution and staying out though allowed Denny Hamlin to win Stage 2.
Early in Stage 3 saw a few prerace favorites wreck out. Joey Logano locked up a wheel on the first restart, taking himself and Chase Elliott out of the top-10.
Following a slow pit stop, Martin Truex Jr also spun after being put three-wide back in the pack. The 2023 New Hampshire winner would fall short of defending his home track triumph.
By virtue of staying out after Stage 2, Tyler Reddick inherited the lead to start Stage 3. A few quick cautions kept the field tight, until rain rolled in with 82 laps left. A red flag delay ensued, lasting over two hours.
Once the race did resume with everyone on wet weather tires, Bell quickly retook the lead and rocketed away from the field. Despite six restarts and ever-changing track moisture over this final run, Bell was not to be denied a 2024 New Hampshire weekend sweep.
“You never know how this thing’s gonna shake out whenever you change so many things like that,” Bell said. “I loved the adverse conditions, because you’re always trying to think outside the box. Whenever we went back out, I was feeling around and it felt like the normal Loudon groove was really really slippery. I tried to just run down or up, and Adam (Stevens, crew chief) put the tune on this thing and it was turning really good.”
“This is really cool, because Rheem has won a lot here, and we always have Watts on the car too. That is just really really special. This race didn’t get shortened either.”
Finishing behind Bell were Chase Briscoe, Josh Berry, Kyle Larson, and Chris Buescher. Tyler Reddick, Ricky Stenhouse Jr, John Hunter Nemechek, Martin Truex Jr, and Ross Chastain were the rest of the top-10.
See the current Playoff standings below, with eight races left until the postseason begins. 10 drivers are still locked in as winners.
The NASCAR Cup Series returns to Tennessee on Sunday, with the fourth annual Ally 400. Nashville Superspeedway has seen many memorable moments in its short history, with another guitar trophy up for grabs. The Ally 400 goes green at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBC, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. Nashville saw a new winner a year ago; will a Music City Miracle be in the works again?
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo Credit to Sean Gardner/Getty Images
