Christopher Bell snapped his prolonged winless streak with a Chase triumph at Darlington Raceway. The result marks Bell’s 14th Cup Series win, coming after seven runner-up finishes this year.
Bell began Sunday’s Cook Out Southern 500 outside the top 10. The Toyota driver soon found himself among the top five in Stage 1, before winning Stage 2.
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The No. 20 driver overtook Kyle Larson with 13 laps left and kept his nose clean until the checkered flag. Notably, Bell also nabbed the fastest lap of the race.
Bell’s season almost ended after a scary crash at Michigan, where he hit the outside wall and recorded the largest delta-v change in Next Gen history. Bell refused to talk to the media that day and was captured leaving the venue with a cast.
Fortunately for the 31-year-old, he was cleared to continue racing without surgery that would’ve sidelined him for weeks. He wore the cast and largely drove one-handed, which affected his restarts and road course races.
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Bell then transitioned to a splint and became somewhat of a perennial runner-up candidate. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver kept coming up short and continued searching for a win, while his teammates crossed the stripe regularly.
Christopher Bell shares emphatic message after Chase triumph
NASCAR Cup Series driver Christopher Bell (20) sits in his pit box Saturday, July 25, 2026, during qualifying for the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Christopher Bell had a lot to celebrate after Sunday’s win at the ‘Track Too Tough to Tame’. It was his second crown jewel win after 2024’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Speaking to reporters post-race, Bell said via Yahoo Sports,
“It’s been too d*** long. Oh my gosh, man. I’m just so, so proud of all these guys. All this No. 20 car. All the mechanics. All the pit crew members. They deserve it more than anyone. This has been a long time coming. Darlington has been one that I’ve always wanted to win since I got into the sport. This is the ultimate driver’s track. I knew we’d be able to win it. We can win any week. It just hadn’t happened yet.”
“But yes, when I was sitting in the infield care center at Michigan, I thought my season was over. I thought I was going to be out a couple of weeks. I thought I wasn’t going to make the Chase. We’re still in it, baby,” he added.
Christopher Bell entered the Chase outside the top-5, but is now second and 12 points behind season leader Denny Hamlin. The No. 11 driver had an unfortunate outing with a slow pit stop at the end of Stage 2, followed by contact with Michael McDowell that sent him into the outside wall.
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Hamlin sustained a broken toe link and went behind the lead pack to make repairs. The 45-year-old ultimately finished 18th, but he placed third in both stages and earned 35 points, one point shy of runner-up driver Ty Gibbs.
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