A lightning delay followed by a heavy rainstorm made it seem Christopher Bell was destined to win the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday. The win was far from undeserved, and after finishing outside the top ten in each of his last five races, the 29-year-old will take this win with both hands. The JGR Charlotte star led 90 out of the 249 laps and edged out RFK Racing driver and co-owner Brad Keselowski. After a win at one of the crown jewels, it looks like Bell will now look to build on that momentum next week at the World Wide Technology Raceway.

Was it a combination of luck, skill, and teamwork?

Prior to the race at the Charlotte Oval, Christopher Bell had gone nine weekends without a win. After finishing 17th in last weekend’s All-Star race at North Wilkesboro Speedway, it was clear that the pressure and nerves were piling up for a result.

When asked after the race how important the result was, a happy yet disappointed Bell replied, “We were in a slump, period! We haven’t been able to put a good race together, and finally today, even though it was just over half length, we were able to put a good race together. Have great pit stops, have great car speed, great restarts. I did a good job managing my tires. It was just very refreshing to put a good race together.”

Even though the weather and track conditions have had a lot to do with the result, it is a testament to Christopher Bell’s ability to capitalize on the circumstances. Bell was in the lead several times and made many good overtaking maneuvers to improve his track position. The defining moment of the race came when he held off Brad Keselowski during a 10-run following a caution for a spin by Corey LaJoie in Turn 2 on Lap 229.

As the race resumed on lap 236, Christopher Bell and Brad Keselowski were side-by-side at the front of the field. However, it was Bell who took the lead and maintained a gap of nearly six car lengths before NASCAR called a seventh caution for a thunderstorm in the area.

Christopher Bell’s reaction to his win in the Coca-Cola 600

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As the rain subsided, NASCAR attempted to dry the track, but the heavy humidity led to the race ending prematurely. This led to fans venting their frustration as a fierce octane battle between Bell and Keselowski was cut short. When it was clear that the race wouldn’t resume by 1 a.m. ET, the announcement was promptly made.

When asked how he reacted to the announcement of the winner, Bell replied, “I was literally half asleep, like 10 seconds before we rolled into victory lane. I was just lying in the motorhome, and they had Radioactive playing on the broadcast. All of a sudden, the boys in the booth came on. They are like talking, ‘We have been trying to dry the track’ and my ears perked, ‘What’s going on here?.’

“At the same time, I got the NASCAR notification that the race had been canceled. Went from half asleep trying to get re-energized for the rest of the marathon. All of a sudden the race is over, and you are going to victory lane. So that was a real win for sure.”