Christopher Bell arrived in Las Vegas with one goal: to make history. Only eight drivers in NASCAR’s modern era had won four consecutive Cup Series races, and the last to do so was Jimmie Johnson in 2007. The idea of making history thrilled him. Even better, Johnson himself had been texting Bell after each of his three straight victories. “It’s an honor to know that he (Jimmie Johnson) thinks of me after the race to send a text message,” Bell had said. But racing rarely follows a perfect script.

Instead of a historic victory, Vegas turned into heartbreak. A pre-race throttle body change sent Bell to the rear of the field before the green flag even waved. Then, just as he clawed his way into contention, a pit road blunder led to a controversial penalty. What had started as a dream weekend quickly turned into a test of survival. His No. 20 team made a split-second decision to avoid a disaster that could have had severe consequences. Now, days after the incident, a NASCAR insider reveals how Bell and his team avoided a dangerous situation, which helped them to settle for a small penalty.

Christopher Bell earns respect from the NASCAR garage!

The controversy began during a pit stop on Lap 108. Christopher Bell’s crew mistakenly left his left front wheel loose as he exited his pit box. Crew chief Adam Stevens acted fast. Instead of risking the wheel coming off on track, which would have led to a harsher penalty, he instructed Bell to stop at teammate Chase Briscoe’s pit stall. Briscoe’s pit crew tightened the wheel, allowing Bell to continue.

But NASCAR officials weren’t pleased. Bell had received outside assistance in another team’s pit stall, which was a clear rule violation. NASCAR handed Bell a penalty, sending him to the back of the field. But given the potential danger of a loose wheel, the punishment was surprisingly light. That decision raised eyebrows, and NASCAR’s Managing Director of Racing Communications, Mike Forde later explained the reasoning behind it. On the latest episode of the Hauler Talk podcast, Forde revealed why Bell and Co. didn’t see any suspension.

“A tire coming off the car, especially off-pit road, is a very dangerous situation. My stomach drops just talking about it. If a 3,500-pound car hits a tire… and flies over a catch fence into the crowd… God forbid, I don’t even want to think about it… That’s where the allowance, the acceptance of what the 20 team did, and the applauding of what the #20 team did, comes in. Because if what they did was avoid that dangerous situation, we’re okay with it—to a certain point,” Forde said.

His comments reveal that NASCAR saw this as a safety-first decision rather than a deliberate attempt to bend the rules. A loose wheel on the track is one of NASCAR’s most severe infractions. The 2-2-2 penalty, 2 laps down, and 2 race suspensions for two crew members exist to discourage teams from making costly mistakes. If Bell had continued racing with the loose wheel and it detached, he would have faced the full punishment, something that his teammate Chase Briscoe is currently facing due to his tire coming loose onto the track during the race.

Adam Stevens later revealed that his team had discussed this exact scenario before. They knew the rules and had a plan in place. As soon as they realized the wheel was loose, they acted quickly. “Oh. That’s something we’ve talked about,” Stevens said, as per Kelly Crandall of RACER.com. Bell’s decision to pull into Briscoe’s pit stall may have been unorthodox, but it likely prevented a much more dangerous situation. Briscoe’s crew chief, James Small, echoed Stevens’ sentiments, saying, “For years, we’ve had an agreement that if somebody rolls up to your pit box, you know what you need to do.” While some questioned whether Bell’s move was fair, many in the NASCAR community applauded his quick thinking.

NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. defended the decision. On the latest episode of Dale Jr. Download, he praised Bell and his team saying, “Well, he saved the left rear tire from coming off, which would have been a bigger penalty… It’s better than a tire coming off at any point… very genius decision to do that.” Dale Jr wasn’t the only one to laud the No.20 team. Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron also appreciated the decision.

“It was kind of weird because I thought I’d be racing him off pit road, but then he slowed down. When we talked about it under caution, I realized they had anticipated that situation. That’s pretty heads-up,” Byron said after the race. These comments reflect the grievance of the situation if someone loses a wheel on the track. However, Bell was not the only one to receive a penalty in Las Vegas.

Kyle Busch, Chase Briscoe, and several others also suffered setbacks due to pit road violations. Busch was penalized for speeding and later lost a wheel, forcing him into the garage. Briscoe’s day was ruined when his wheel detached during a green flag pit stop. With so many pit road infractions, Bell’s misstep became just one piece of a chaotic race. While he still finished 12th, his dream of four straight wins ended in disappointment. But he wasn’t alone in his frustration. Someone else shared in his heartbreak—his wife, Morgan Bell.

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Bell’s wife opens up about his Vegas struggles!

Christopher and Morgan Bell have been together since 2010. They got engaged in 2018 and married in 2020, just a week before Bell’s Daytona 500 debut. Throughout Bell’s career, Morgan has been one of his biggest supporters. She has celebrated his victories and consoled him during tough losses. After the Las Vegas race, Morgan took to Instagram to share her thoughts on her husband’s rough day.

She posted a photo of the couple on pit road at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with the caption: “Las Vegas wasn’t in the cards for us.” The disappointment was clear. Bell had fought hard but fell short of the four-peat. Morgan’s post summed up the heartbreak. Despite that, Morgan stood behind him as Bell remains a contender in the championship hunt. After the race, Bell also reflected on the disappointing run admitting that the penalty destroyed his racing.

“It was a grind today for sure. I don’t know how I feel yet, but we certainly didn’t do what we did the last couple of weeks, and that was just a nice clean race. I felt like we were in position in Stage 2 to contend for another win, but it got away from us,” he told media after the race. Notably, for Christopher Bell, missing out on history hurt. But with his strong start to 2025, he won’t be down for long. If he continues to perform at a high level, Jimmie Johnson’s record might still be within reach in the future. For now, though, Las Vegas remains a missed opportunity.