Christopher Bell “Kills” Toyota & Joe Gibbs Racing’s Championship Hope at Phoenix

Tragedy struck the Toyota camp again as Joe Gibbs Racing‘s title contender, Christopher Bell got his championship ambitions squashed in a flash. And just like that, the #20 driver became the ill-fated one to be out of the final championship decider in Phoenix after a mechanical issue blew his aspirations out of proportion.

Christopher Bell falls victim to mechanical failure; has to bow out before the race is over

In the scorching heat of the desert track in Arizona, the same issue plagued JGR’s #20 car that has crippled multiple teams this year—the brake rotor. Christopher Bell became the first driver from the final 4 to go out on a sour note.

Despite starting from the middle, Bell put out a blistering pace at the 1-mile track to get back on the game but was struck down in the 109th lap of the race, blowing his brake rotor and getting into the wall, essentially ending the driver’s ambitions. The driver was already facing a couple of issues, relaying it to his crew as another mechanical failure got the Toyota camp’s hopes going down in flames much like what happened to Denny Hamlin a few weeks ago.

The #20 driver was riding 6th when disaster came looking for him. Amidst the excruciating heat of the desert, the #20’s brake rotor exploded as he yelled in frustration, “It’s killed, it’s killed.” JGR lost its only hope in Stage 2 of the race sending the Toyota limping back to the pit stop where the crew doused the fire on the right front tire.

With Bell out of contention, stage 3 saw intense but respectful fight for the championship with Ryan Blaney and Kyle Larson passing one another multiple times.

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Ford has the final laugh as Toyota’s hope succumbs to brake failure

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The final championship fray had 2 Chevrolets from the HMS camp, 1 Team Penske Ford, and a Toyota from the JGR garage. The scene was electric with William Byron acing the stage 1 and the rest of the field battling to stay on course while the Penske Ford of Blaney looked a little off.

However as the race progressed to its final laps, the #12 Ford came back into the picture strongly passing the HMS cars to the front. On the other hand, things went terribly bad for JGR and Toyota with its sole hope blowing its brake rotor. In Stage 2, Bell got into the wall after the mishap ruining the Japanese manufacturer’s hope once and for all.

Despite the early setbacks and shortcomings, all-American manufacturer Ford got back into the game, taking the front passing the HMS cars as he fended off their valiant attack. Blaney crossed the checkered flag only behind Ross Chastain, bringing the title back to the Ford camp for the 2nd consecutive time, issuing a strong statement to all nay-sayers, trouncing the super fast Toyotas on his way to victory.

READ MORE: “We Gave It to William [Byron]” – Christopher Bell Optimistic Despite Handing Hendrick Motorsports Advantage