“The tires are going to be different this year, so nobody knows what to expect,” C. Bell said in a weekly team release ahead of the Watkins Glen weekend. The best average finisher at Watkins Glen was definitely in for a surprise. Christopher Bell did not know what to expect, but he had a hint that Goodyear’s fast-wear tires would play an important role on the road course.

C. Bell carried the maximum weight going into the second playoff race of 2024. His rich road course experience made him a veritable threat among his rivals. Yet the ensuing chaos and faltering tires got in his way, even though Christopher Bell got away with the points lead.

Why did Christopher Bell slander NASCAR’s official tire partner?

The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season has a unique selling point. We all saw how the Bristol race earlier this year shocked the wits out of us with a thrilling tire management race. So Goodyear worked on that incentive for further races, but with little results at North Wilkesboro or Richmond, Goodyear adamantly worked on the tire factor, as they used a new tire compound at the Go Bowling at The Glen race.

Yet one of the brightest Championship aspirants, Christopher Bell, scratched his head after the race. Bell has the best average finish of 6 at the 2.4-mile road course. But his strategy got messed up as Goodyear’s promises fell through.

Qualifying 17th, Christopher Bell could not crack the top ten throughout the race. Then, on lap 61, Bell almost spun his car out of control. And this miserable run for the Cup Series points leader could be attributed to faulty tires, as Bell told the press after the race, “I don’t think they fell off. I wasn’t studying lap times, but from what Adam told me, there really was no change.”

He said he realized the problem early, saying, “It was stage 1. Then we saw those guys, myself included—we jumped the stage. And the guys who did not jump the stage could not get back through there. So it was a track position race once again.”

All the hype drummed up by Goodyear about their tire deal fizzed out. So Christopher Bell further emphasized how expectations were reversed. “Pre-race we expected the same thing, of tire wear being a huge factor and having to pit to put on tires. And you know, being able to drive up through the field…It was the complete opposite.” He added, “Practice was a big change and then all of a sudden we got into the race and it was more of the same.” 

Yet Bell ended up reaping the most benefits among playoff drivers and finished P14.

Bell was ‘the belle of the ball’ at the Glen

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Christopher Bell’s road course stats are already fantastic. In 2021, he scored his first-ever Cup win at the Daytona road course. Then in 2022, he clinched wins at the Charlotte Roval and Martinsville. Throw in his average finish at Watkins Glen, and you have a fine racer for the road course.

C. Bell’s brilliance shone on the New York track today as he led the Toyota bandwagon. Joe Gibbs’ star also came away with the points lead among playoff drivers with a comfortable 46-point cushion over the cutline, sitting on No. 2 right below Atlanta winner Joey Logano. Yet the path to this lead was thorny, as he noted, “It wasn’t pretty how we got there, but we got there.”

On lap 61, Bell battled with Austin Dillon for the 12th position. Dillon dove on the inside and ended up spinning the No. 20, which Bell could somehow roll into the pit lane. Yet Bell did not blame Dillon for the mess and was instead disappointed with his own performance.

He said, “Honestly, the spins – they don’t really bother me. I mean, it’s road course racing. We see people getting into each other all the time. But it’s just the lack of performance that we had today at one of our best road course races – that’s what is frustrating.”

Evidently, the 2024 Go Bowling at the Glen race has left the Joe Gibbs star frustrated and disappointed. Goodyear mostly contributed to this, although the chaotic race itself was a factor as well.