Missed opportunity. That’s what Christopher Bell will view the 2024 Xfinity 500 as after failing to progress into Championship 4. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver was the overwhelming favorite to remain in title contention at Phoenix Raceway after having a 29-point cushion going into the penultimate race of the season at Martinsville. However, things didn’t work out according to plan for the No. 20 Chevy racer, who was found guilty of a ‘safety violation’ by NASCAR.

It was a disappointing day for Joe Gibbs Racing all-around, as Denny Hamlin was also knocked out of the playoffs despite a fifth-place result. As a result, the team was forced to face an unflattering reality that they hadn’t had to deal with since the charter system was introduced.

A heartbreaking outcome for Christopher Bell

Christopher Bell only has himself to blame. The 29-year-old has been one of the most consistent Cup Series drivers all season, not finishing lower than seventh in the last six races. Had he continued in that trajectory, the Oklahoman would have comfortably made it to the Championship 4, despite Ryan Blaney occupying the third spot after securing a race win. However, the 29-year-old couldn’t pull off a clutch performance when it mattered the most, while his car and pit crew didn’t make it easier for him on the challenging 0.526-mile oval.

Reflecting on Christopher Bell’s performance at Martinsville Speedway, NASCAR YouTuber Eric Estepp said, “What a disastrous day for Bell all around. Self-inflicted errors all over the place. All he had to do was have a quiet top-15 day. Maybe earn some stage points. That’s all he had to do and they couldn’t do it. Qualified outside the top 10, was not moving forward. Then spun themselves out. Got behind the eightball back in traffic. Used some gutsy pit strategy to get that track position back. Collected a few stage points in Stage 2.”

Despite showing signs of revival, the No. 20 team’s pit road struggles proved to be the final nail in the coffin for Christopher Bell’s title hopes. His crew left a wheel nut loose, forcing the driver to get back into the pit lane to rectify the error, which not only cost him valuable track positions but eventually led to the 29-year-old losing a lap. With his title hopes steadily fading, Byron found himself four points ahead of Bell going into the final lap. That’s when desperation kicked in, prompting the 2024 Coca-Cola 600 winner to pull off a ‘Hail Melon’, similar to Ross Chastain’s maneuver from two years ago.

However, that proved to be his undoing as NASCAR deemed the move illegal and relegated Christopher Bell to 22nd place, which cost him the championship. In a candid post-race interview, the racing driver admitted to his faults by saying, “I made a lot of mistakes, ran a sloppy race. It is a shame that it comes down to a ball and strike call like that.” With no Joe Gibbs Racing driver making it to Championship 4, the team will not be in contention for the Bill France Cup for the first time since 2016.

Bell’s crew chief challenges NASCAR’s verdict

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The outcome at Martinsville Speedway was marred not only by Christopher Bell’s ‘safety violation’ penalty but also by accusations of race manipulation that were thrown around after the checkered flag was waved. During the final lap, William Byron was seen being assisted by fellow Chevrolet drivers Austin Dillon and Ross Chastain, who were blocking anyone attempting to overtake the Hendrick Motorsports driver.

Recalling the situation, crew chief Adam Stevens told journalist Jeff Gluck after the race, “I think that’s a bad look, but bad looks aren’t gonna put me in the Championship 4, apparently. Guess they wanted a Chevy in there. They got one.” He went on to say that parallels being drawn between Christopher Bell and Ross Chastain were unfair, as there was no intention for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver to do the ‘Hail Melon’ and he simply got loose and ran into the Turn 3 wall.

After hearing NASCAR’s verdict, a thoroughly disgruntled Joe Gibbs said, “They said it’s over.” Telling reported that he was “still dealing” with the outcome, the team owner was asked if there was any possibility of appealing the decision. Responding to the question, the 83-year-old replied, “I love to. They said we can’t appeal.” Having already made back-to-back Championship 4 appearances in the last two years, Christopher Bell will be disappointed to miss out this time around, particularly because of the circumstances that led to the disappointing outcome. However, the 29-year-old will take some valuable lessons from this experience and emerge stronger going forward.