The season might be over, but that won’t stop Christopher Bell from licking his wounds. Even though weeks have passed since the incident, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver will be feeling hard done by after the events at Martinsville Speedway in the penultimate Cup Series race of the season. The 29-year-old narrowly lost out on a place in the Championship 4 after being found guilty of wall riding on his way to the finish line, which was deemed as an illegal move by NASCAR after the race.

Christopher Bell was all set to progress into the final four, even though playoff rival William Byron ended up sixth. However, after a 27-minute delay in NASCAR’s verdict, the No. 20 Toyota Camry driver was relegated to 22nd place and was forced to come to terms with his elimination.

Was Christopher Bell at fault in Martinsville?

Drama, chaos, and desperation. The closing laps at Martinsville Speedway seemed to have it all. While William Byron was scrambling to get a result at the short track, two Chevrolet drivers, namely Austin Dillon and Ross Chastain were busy assisting him by creating a blockade so that others would not be able to make a pass. If the Hendrick Motorsports driver had lost a position, he would have been eliminated from the playoffs. Meanwhile, Christopher Bell, who was desperate to gain a spot, hit the wall on his way to the checkered flag, a move that proved to be his undoing.

Revealing his thoughts about the incident at Martinsville Speedway, NASCAR journalist Jeff Gluck said, “The wall ride thing, again, that would not have been necessary if the Chevy cars did not form the blockade. They penalized Bell because of the wall ride which is obviously a mistake. He panicked at the moment. You know he got loose, hit the wall, and stayed in it. Stayed in the gas for a couple of seconds. His mistake. He paid for it dearly.”

Meanwhile, The Athletic’s Jordan Bianchi went on to say, “The moment to me that stands out, standing on the pit road for 27 minutes. William Byron over here, Christopher Bell over here. Felt like this weird game show. Who’s gonna win?”

Understandably, Christopher Bell was furious at NASCAR’s verdict. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver said in the post-race interview, “I feel cheated out of a chance to compete for a championship.” What makes the sanctioning body’s verdict even more puzzling is that they found Ross Chastain and Austin Dillon guilty of race manipulation, with each of them being fined $100,000 and being docked 50 points along with suspension for three crew members. Yet, the decision was not overturned in the 29-year-old’s favor, presumably because Bubba Wallace was found guilty of slowing down for Bell as well.

Wallace claimed that his tire got loose, which caused him to slow down and let Bell pass. However, after a thorough investigation, NASCAR deemed Wallace to be part of the manipulation game and fined him as well, suspending his crew chief, Bootie Barker, ahead of his last race as crew chief for the #23.

Christopher Bell had been one of the most consistent drivers throughout the 2024 Cup Series season. Despite not winning a race in the playoffs, the Oklahoman was on top of the playoff standings on points going into the race in Martinsville, but a combination of bad luck combined with some sinister actions forced his elimination. With the hard work of an entire season coming undone in an instant, the 29-year-old was visibly disappointed when he said, “I believe cheated is the right word. We go through sessions at the beginning of the year to make sure that we don’t do this, and that unfortunately is what happened. And I was on the losing side of it.”

While nothing can be done about the misfortunes of the 2024 season, Bell was optimistic about 2025 after JGR’s crew chief got a deserved promotion.

Bell shares his thoughts on Joe Gibbs Racing’s internal reshuffle

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A lot has been going on behind the scenes at Joe Gibbs Racing. Denny Hamlin was recently forced to part ways with his crew chief Chris Gabehart, who was promoted to the new Team Competition Director. Ty Gibbs’ crew chief Chris Gayle will be joining the No. 11 Toyota team as a replacement for 2025 and beyond, as the team looks to make improvements after a disappointing second half of the 2024 Cup Series campaign.

Joe Gibbs Racing failed to win a race after Christopher Bell’s triumph at New Hampshire, which prompted the No. 20 Toyota driver to say, “It has the potential to help out all the teams. Chris Gabehart is an incredibly smart person. He was a huge asset to the #11 car and I think moving him to oversee the crew chiefs and be able to provide input, and knowledge, and keep all the teams in line, is a solid move. And I think it has the potential to increase the performance of all the teams”

With the team going 18 races without a win, there is room for improvement in several areas that Chris Gabehart will need to focus on. Meanwhile, Christopher Bell, who has made it to the Championship 4 twice in the last three years will be analyzing his performances ahead of the 2025 season. The 29-year-old has the potential to become a future championship winner, but can he pull off some clutch results next year to end Team Penske’s dominance at NASCAR’s highest level? Time will tell.