Netflix takes us to the most competitive stretch of Cup Series races in NASCAR: Full Speed’s fourth episode. The third episode of the docu-series ended with a painful elimination of fan favorites, Kyle Busch and Ross Chastain. This created an electric atmosphere as the eight remaining drivers progressed to lock horns in the Round of 8, starting from the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

When Netflix and NASCAR announced their intention to give their fans a closer look at the playoffs, fans had preoccupied their minds with expectations from the series. Cutthroat racing, disregard for friends and rivals, and an enthralling experience are some things a NASCAR fan had wished for the series to supply. The fourth episode, ‘Not in the Plan,’ has stood on that promise undoubtedly.

Joe Gibbs Racing‘s duo of Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin share the spotlight with the 2023 champion Ryan Blaney as the build-up to the championship race kicks off.

Christopher Bell enters the serious discussion for the NASCAR Cup Series championship

Christopher Bell is one of the Cup Series drivers that the fans have wanted to know more about. The 29-year-old is relatively reserved regarding social media presence or giving the tough talk back to his rivals. Racing on the track has been his most common way of expressing his thoughts.

The racing action in the episode kicks off with a scorching afternoon of the South Point 400 in the backdrop. With him arriving as one of the best talents in the circuit, only a few people expected Bell to reach the championship race two times in a row. But come 2023, Christopher Bell was en route to doing precisely that.

Bell had an incredible start to the Round of 8 after securing the pole to maximize his chances of reaching Phoenix. However, the one to block his path in Las Vegas would be Kyle Larson in the front row. Larson is renowned as one of, if not the most competitive driver on the grid. With the season finale in sight, it would undoubtedly be daunting.

“I wanna be known for winning races,” claimed Christopher Bell. He revealed that, growing up, the plan was to be a race car driver all along. Be it NASCAR or dirt-track racing, Bell had already charted his course. Moving down the gradual NASCAR path after shining in the grassroots and dirt racing competitions, Joe Gibbs Racing was the perfect platform for him to shine.

Starting P1 at Las Vegas, Bell was practically the driver with the highest chance of sealing his spot in Phoenix. Despite that, Larson took the lead early on and dominated all the stages of the race. Christopher Bell put up a tough fight, which brilliantly portrays the intensity of competition in NASCAR.

Having lost the first opportunity to seal the deal, Bell had to move on to the two remaining races in the Round of 8. Despite the setback, his goal remained clear: to be one of the best drivers in NASCAR. While he has shown the potential to do so, in his words, “I haven’t won enough to be that guy yet. One day, I will.”

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In the first episode of NASCAR: Full Speed, Denny Hamlin was in focus. In one of the moments, he talked about his life as a father to two daughters and how he wants them to grow up. Fast forward to the fourth episode, Denny takes up the role of the child. As the camera shifts to Denny’s father, Dennis Hamlin, he reveals his pride in witnessing his son’s rise to fame.

Hamlin has endured the boos and jeers of the NASCAR community throughout his career. However, his father has always been his biggest supporter. Voicing his feelings about how Denny Hamlin’s career has turned out, Dennis said, “I am very proud of that fact. Not because of the race car driver he is. More of the young man he grew up to be.”

Denny’s mother, Mary Lou Clark, speaks about the enormous gamble the couple had to take. Dennis sold away some of his most prized cars to power his son’s dreams, and thankfully, the reward has been more than convincing. As for Mary Lou, she believes the risk is considerable but not advisable, adding that it worked out in their favor, fortunately.

As the atmosphere shifts to a heated afternoon at Homestead-Miami, the focus switches to Denny Hamlin’s alarming condition. The 43-year-old discloses a hereditary condition that has caused his collarbone to grow into the rotator cuff. This worsened his already injured shoulder, hindering him from even switching brake biases. Well, that was not an excuse for Ryan Blaney to give Hamlin room to breathe.

Christopher Bell’s theatrical redemption as flares of temper fly in Miami

For 2023 Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney, the Round of 8 was a flashback to the painful past. Before reaching the season finale in Phoenix, Blaney had failed to clear the stage three times in a row. Taking center stage from Denny, Blaney says, “If anyone tells you there’s no pressure, they’re lying.” Every person at the Homestead-Miami Speedway was under pressure, apart from the already-qualified Kyle Larson.

However, Larson didn’t show mercy as he fought for the lead with Blaney lap after lap. Eventually, the duo collided on the pit road. Blaney was leading the #5 driver by a decent length on the pit lane. However, in an attempt to overtake the #12 car, Larson bumped Ryan Blaney’s rear and went into the sand barrels. Larson, indeed, needed a bit of composure there.

In the second stage of the race, the attention shifts to the battle in the front row. Denny Hamlin and Blaney went hard at each other, materializing the thought, ‘Rubbin is Racin.’ The battle, however, didn’t last long as Hamlin experienced a mechanical failure and went into the retainer wall, which retired him from the race. While Hamlin revealed it later, the detrimental effects of his shoulder injury can be seen clearly when he exits the #11 Toyota. As Hamlin claims, “Shoulder and the heart about equally broke.”

In the race’s final laps, Christopher Bell and championship favorite William Byron can be seen displaying a clean brand of racing. Unlike Blaney and Hamlin, the pair show great composure and respect for the lead. Bell eventually won the battle of attrition and overtook the #24 car to fix a spot in Phoenix. Morgan Bell jumps joyfully and excited as her husband crosses the checkered flag. A voice on the team radio reaffirms Bell’s win, as we hear it say, “That’s how champions are made.”

A racing spectacle in Martinsville

Ryan Blaney’s crew chief, Jonathan Hassler, believes his driver “puts the helmet on, there’s no fiercer competitor.” These words immediately take one back to the instances of rage and aggression from Blaney in the #12 Ford. Despite being one of the most composed personalities off the track, he turns into a different man behind the steering wheel.

As he comes from a family of racers, Ryan’s father, Dave Blaney, has been his inspiration in life. From being a mentor to a personal car manufacturer, Netflix has captured Dave Blaney’s varying roles in his son’s life. Dave reveals that he’d made a car for Ryan when he was nine years old. That was the start of the story between Ryan Blaney and race cars.

Going into Martinsville, Dave Blaney understood the pressure his son was under. Having missed the cut three years successively, it was an all-or-nothing effort for the #12 driver again. While Blaney emphasizes the importance of small wins en route to making it big in the episode, he hadn’t done well in the Round of 8 till then.

Blaney had the momentum in Martinsville. With a podium finish in the previous race, he desperately needed to avoid a repeat of the past 3 years. The season’s penultimate race triggers some hidden emotions in race car drivers. As Ryan Blaney headed to the checkered flag, he had to leave behind his best friend, Bubba Wallace, and his soon-to-be brother-in-law, William Byron.

NASCAR racing isn’t the best place for emotions, and NASCAR: Full Speed’s fourth episode depicts that facet of the sport quite well. While Byron secured a passage to the season finale, Denny Hamlin lost the championship chase again. Following the race’s conclusion, Denny says, “I am the black cat of death. I’m cursed.”

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Well, that is how racing can be. In a sport where being the first man to cross the checkered line is paramount, curses and emotions do not amount too much.