The Martinsville Speedway seemed to be unfavorable for Christopher Bell after NASCAR brought out a decision that completely ribbed him off his position. While Bell seemed to be trying hard to make a mark and trying new strategies, he was denied his Top 4 position due to a “safety violation”. However, this decision did not go well with the fans who called out NASCAR for their decision.

But this is not the only thing that NASCAR was accused of by the fans. There was also quite a mutual consensus that NASCAR has always been more favorable to Hendrick Motorsports and this time too, history has repeated itself. Here’s what Bell did at Martinsville that got him off the Top 4 battle at Phoenix.

Christopher Bell loses the Top 4 position to Byron

With Joey Logano and Tyler Reddick making it to the top 4, before the Martinsville Speedway, only two positions were left. Ryan Blaney won at the Martinsville Speedway which ensured that his position to the top was also secured. He was accompanied by Christopher Bell. However, it seemed as though Bell had undertaken a move that would prove to be catastrophic for his future ahead. The reason? It was declared that Bell’s move was a safety violation!

Christopher Bell was towards the last closing 10 laps when he overtook Bubba Wallace who slowed down. This slowing down allowed Bell to run against the wall and dash forward. He dashed ahead of Bubba Wallace for the P18 which allowed him to gain an edge over with points. While Bell and Byron were in a point-wise tie, this move allowed Bell to move ahead with a benefit of one point. However, it seems as though fate has some other plans. Soon, NASCAR announced a major announcement that threatened Bell’s position in the top 4. It said that anyone who attempts to perform the Chastian wall ride will be penalized and this move is considered as a safety violation. This is exactly what happened with Bell as well. His move was hailed as a safety violation and the points he earned were also deducted. This ensured that Bell lost his standing from the Top 4 and he was replaced by William Byron. This decision however did not go well with the fans who called it an “ absolute joke”. 

The Twitter community showered their frustration over this decision as fans hailed this move to be an “absolute joke of a decision”. However, this did not end there. A fan even pointed out saying, “What a joke of a call. If Ross and Austin didn’t block for 10+ laps then Byron would have lost at least 3 – 4 positions. Bell wouldn’t have had to make that desperate wall ride. Should have penalized the 1 & 3 after a few laps of blocking”. This comes as a reaction after Byron was constantly guarded by his Chevy team members, Austin Dillon, and Ross Chastain which ensured that Byron did not lose out on positions. There were several times when the two drivers could have crossed him and yet they managed to block Byron so that he did not lose out on either points or position. This created a major problem for Bell who had to climb the wall as a desperate move to salvage his position. Citing this, a fan mentioned, “Absolute joke with Chevy guilty of race manipulation”.  Reacting to this move on the tracks, Christopher Bell said, “I mean that was disappointing. That was disappointing to see them blocking like that and manipulating the race. I don’t know”. 

Joe Gibbs Reacts to Decision By NASCAR 

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It seems as though Joe Gibbs is not having a good time this season as all its four drivers, Christopher Bell, Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr, and Ty Gibbs are out of the battle. The decision by NASCAR met with all kinds of reactions and this is when Joe Gibbs shared his bits about what he felt about the decision. Gibbs said in quite a heavy and melancholic time, “They said it’s over”. When asked about whether he would like to appeal or not against the decision that NASCAR had made official, he said, “I love to. They said we can’t appeal”. Along with Gibbs, Bell too spoke about how he felt about this move and the decision imposed by NASCAR. He said, “ I don’t know what to say. I understand that the rule was made to prevent people from riding the wall, but my move was completely different than what Ross [Chastain’s] was. I got loose getting into the corner a slid right into the fence. I don’t know what else to say”. Joe Gibbs drivers did not have the stars to their favor and while Truex Jr and Ty Gibbs were eliminated postseason, Hamlin and Bell could not make it to the decider at Martinsville Speedway. 

With Joey Logano, Tyler Reddick, Ryan Blaney, and William Byron making it to the Top 4 battle at Phoenix Raceway, who do you think would seal the deal?