Almost halfway through Stage 3, Christopher Bell was declared the winner of the 2024 Coca-Cola 373.5. Torrential downpours hammered downtown Charlotte and lightning struck nearby, forcing NASCAR to halt the “longest race of the year” at a mere 249 laps, well short of its planned 600-lap distance.

Rain turned what was shaping up to be a certified ‘Memorial Day’ classic into an uncertain series of unfortunate events. That was evident based on the boos awaiting the #20 driver in victory lane for his first-ever race win on the ‘crown jewel’ intermediate. Some would call it the Toyota effect, and others would scoff at his race team association, especially considering his teammate who finished fifth, Denny Hamlin, is arguably the most hated man in NASCAR’s current landscape.

However, Bell has since hit back at his critics with signature composure, disregarding lady luck for her part in JGR’s fifth victory of the season.

Christopher Bell defends “Asterisk” 373.5-mile victory

When all was said and done, NASCAR announced that due to heavy rains, and impending ‘track drying’ delays pushing the expected restart time beyond the intended, the unofficial results would hold Stage 2 winner Christopher Bell as the winner of the 2024 Coca-Cola 600. Due to front-row battles with the #20 car up top leading up to the sudden stop in festivities, Brad Keselowski would retain his circumstantial runner-up position. P3 finisher, William Byron pulled a breathtaking ‘pass on the grass’ over Tyler Reddick through the tri-oval for P3 right before lightning struck within proximity of the Charlotte Motor Speedway

According to Bell, he “was literally on the couch like half-asleep” waiting for the race to restart when announcements from NASCAR put him in a “twist of emotions.” The #20 was ecstatic to find out that after leading the most laps out of all 40 drivers entered on Sunday, he would claim his eighth career Cup victory at the hallowed home track of premier-tier stock car racing. Contrarily, his excitements were by only his crew members and a few others in victory lane as boos followed Bell on his momentous occasion.

Addressing his reception after the race, Bell told the media, “Oh, I got booed out of the place… It’s just another one to my career man. There’s a lot of my wins that have come that way. Whether it was Ross (Chastain) right in the wall at Martinsville or… heck I don’t know. It feels like whenever I win these things they have an asterisk on them, but that’s alright. It’s still a win for me.”

Bell’s emotions could stem from the consistent under-appreciation from the NASCAR community despite his strong performances since the NextGen car’s arrival in 2022. The #20 won three races that year and his third and final victory at Martinsville earned him a best-ever third-place finish in the points standings. But most remember this race for Ross Chastain’s “Hail Melon” move on the final lap to pass several cars and round off the top 5.

Ironically, this year’s Coca-Cola 373.5 gathered its ‘shine’ from the man who finished P2 behind Bell that day – Kyle Larson. The #5’s disappointing 1100-mile double-duty attempt, ultimately rained out by Mother Nature is a primary reason Bell’s race win has gone relatively under the radar.

Regardless, steadfast in his pursuits, with/without the wider support often showered on his teammates and other drivers, Bell makes a respectable 9-word declaration. “So it’s not like we just lucked into these things…” Justifying all claims of a hard-fought victory further, the #20 driver concluded, “We led laps. I passed for the lead. We had great pit stops, pit crew did amazing. It was just 400 miles instead of 600 miles.”

A new era for JGR saying farewell to the 600

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From the start, if any lesser-known JGR driver appeared to be in contention, it was Ty Gibbs. Coach Gibbs’ young-gun grandson became the first-ever driver born in the 21st century to lead the field from green at the 2024 Coca-Cola 600. Although Bell followed close behind starting his glorious advances from the #54’s bumper in P3, very few would pencil in the #20 for an ‘intermediates’ victory after its most recent at Phoenix two months ago. As Bell explained, following his victory, “It’s been a heck of a trying eight weeks or so, and getting the second win of the year means a lot.”

Especially considering his three prior DNFs at Martinsville, Talladega & Dover, this win at Charlotte puts a lot of false claims of a faltering season to rest, for a resurgent Christopher Bell. Overall, with 21 lead changes across the rain-shortened 249 laps, Bell’s victory was anything but easily attained since Brad Keselowski was running only 0.439 seconds behind the #20 car before the race’s early stoppage.

Moreover, the closest JGR car to finish behind Bell was quite paradoxically, the #11. Denny Hamlin finished right above his other teammate Ty Gibbs in P5. The lowest-finishing Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry XSE belonged to Martin Truex Jr, a three-time Coca-Cola 600 winner. The younger stars repping JGR truly staked their claims this year at the longest race of the NASCAR calendar. And with their two elder statesmen slowly inching towards an uncertain future, purely based on their mellowing ages, The future might hold some interesting fortunes for a first-time winner of the infamous 600.