Christopher Bell has faltered again. The 28-year-old has produced some of the most consistent and fastest speeds in qualifying sessions this season and is yet to win a race. Although many factors could affect a race, the #20 team was expected to stay prepared to finish the race in the same position they started in at least three races. However, as Kyle Larson celebrated his second victory of the playoffs and a championship 4 spot, Bell was left lamenting his luck.

With Homestead Miami next on the schedule, the situation has reversed for Joe Gibbs Racing. While the team does have three drivers in the final 8, Bell looks to lack that X-factor to win a race, Hamlin has lost loads of momentum, and regular-season champion Martin Truex Jr. hasn’t found his rhythm in months. Could the race at Las Vegas indicate the end of JGR’s playoff run?

NASCAR insider reveals crucial aspect where Christopher Bell lost the race

Bell and Larson had a photo-frame finish as the Hendrick Motorsports #5 edged out the former by 0.082 seconds to clinch the South Point 400. Using his pole-winning performance from Saturday in the best manner, Bell led 61 laps in the race. In the race’s final two laps, he surmounted a brilliant comeback to trim Larson’s lead to under one second. All in all, it was an extremely close call for Bell, who could have won it had he been a second faster or if he’d saved some time on the pit road.

Former NASCAR driver and NBC analyst Jeff Burton is of the same thought. Joined by his fellow analysts Marty Sneider and Steve Letarte on NBC’s talk show, NASCAR America Motor Mouths, the two-time Coke 600 winner stated, “If he had a better pitstop, he would have. I mean, that’s where he lost it. It’s not all just the pit stop, right?”

“It’s everything but you know on track he came out third behind Kyle Larson. He came in lead and came out third. I mean, that’s where the race got lost. The opportunity to have the track position, to get the restart you wanted to get, to get Kyle Larson behind you, make him come past you, that’s where the race was lost. It was lost on pit road.“

The #20 driver expressed his feelings about the agonizing loss in the post-race press conference as well. Going by his words, the race at Las Vegas was the best opportunity the #20 team had to make it to Phoenix, and with that past them now, it is difficult to predict how things will turn out. With two more races in this round, Bell will hope to fight for the title, surely.

Read More: “I Let the Team Down”- Christopher Bell Sells Himself Out Despite Joe Gibbs’ Approval After Las Vegas Loss to HMS

Jeff Burton claims that JGR has been bad in the pit lane throughout the year

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Despite having a solid outing, Christopher Bell still has a lot to prove. After the result, he sits just outside the top 4 places and three points below the cutoff line. Had he been a tad faster, he would have been celebrating a championship 4 place now. Alas, Lady Luck had different plans for him. If you ask Burton how his thoughts about Bell’s position in the race changed through the final stage, he would explain it very well.

“I thought Christopher Bell did a good job of making an unbelievable comeback,” said Burton. “ I mean I thought the race was over with six to go and then with three to go, I’m like there’s a shot here but you cannot give the #5 car and Kyle Larson with the speed they have track position on them.”

Kyle Larson has been one of the fastest drivers in the competition this season and Bell had an able challenger ahead of him. When the stakes are high, even minor mistakes and even an extra second can cost you your dreams in NASCAR. With the Las Vegas pit stops proving to be particularly challenging due to the low-grip boxing zones, Bell and other drivers lost a significant amount of time there.

Emphasizing the same, Burton then added, “You can’t do it and whatever is going on on pit road with a pit crew that we all believe that with the stat said it was one of the best in the business. It’s just not working. It’s not creating the results that everyone including myself thought it would create and that’s why the disappointment because it’s been a year of it right? It’s been a year of bad pit stops.”

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The pit stop conundrum for Joe Gibbs and co has been ongoing for some time now. While the team is known for having fast pit crews and even outsourcing their crew members to other teams, these performances are not something JGR will want in the foreseeable future.