MARTINSVILLE, Va. — In any other cutoff race in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, Christopher Bell’s against-all-odds, win-to-get-in, “Walk off Winner” would have been the story of the day at Martinsville Speedway.
But the driver who scored his second-straight elimination victory in Sunday’s Xfinity 500 was overshadowed by Ross Chastain’s incredible video game, cartoon-like, rail-riding fifth-place finish.
What Bell did Sunday at Martinsville should not be diminished in any way, however.
For the second time in the playoffs, Bell entered a cutoff race with virtually no chance to advance through the points. He had to win in order to advance.
The first time came on October 9 in the Bank of America ROVAL 400 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. Bell entered that race 23 points below the cutoff line.
He rallied with a dramatic win and combined with 2021 Cup Series champion Kyle Larson’s broken toe-link from contact with a retaining wall, eliminated Larson from advancing.
Bell entered Sunday’s 500-lap short track battle 33 points below the cutline, which at that time was William Byron of Hendrick Motorsports.
It was another pressurized moment for the driver from Joe Gibbs Racing and once again, Bell delivered with a huge win after starting 20th.
By winning the race, Bell joins Las Vegas Motor Speedway winner Joey Logano to advance into the Championship Four based on wins in the Round of Eight. Chase Elliott and the incredible rail-rider Chastain made it in based on points.
“It’s been a roller coaster of emotions for sure,” Bell said afterwards. “I think I’ve been praying off-season for two out of the last four weeks, now I’m ready to race again.
“The Round of 12 was extremely disheartening because I felt like the Round of Eight was going to be really good for us, and that would have led to a possible championship run.
“But then when we got out of Texas with a DNF, Talladega sucked, just being so down.”
Bell’s team, led by crew chief Adam Stevens, never gave up. They prepared Bell’s Toyota to race up front and battle for the win at Martinsville.
“The team behind me, everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing, they still performed to their highest level,” Bell said. “I feel like whenever I get in the car, put my helmet on, I try and do as good of a job as I can of not letting anything bother me.
“No matter what’s going on behind the scenes, whenever you get in the car, you can’t let that bother you.
“They gave me a great race car today, the fastest car today. At the Charlotte road course when we needed to win, it worked out for us.”
At Martinsville, Bell led three times for 150 laps, including the final five laps of the race when he passed Chase Briscoe for the lead and ultimately the win.
On Sunday, Bell gets to race for a championship in what is essentially another chance for a “Walk off Winner.” The highest finished driver in the Championship Four will win the championship.
It’s usually the winner of the race.
As Major League Baseball prepares for Game 3 of the 2022 World Series, NASCAR’s Christopher Bell can lay the claim as “Mr. October.”
“I don’t think it’s sank in yet,” Bell said. “One thing that is very unique about the Playoff system and the wins that we have had, I don’t feel like I’ve won a Cup race yet. I feel like I transferred into the Playoffs and get to race for a championship.
“In a way the Playoffs overshadow the race wins. Whenever you have a race win in the regular season, it’s cherished and you feel like it’s a big deal, where winning a race in the Playoffs, especially the way that we did, it’s like, ‘Wow, we won three races this year.’
“We’re focused on the Playoffs, we’re on to the next round, and that’s what the shining star is, not the race wins right now.
“Maybe a couple weeks down the road, a couple days down the road, we’ll look back at it and say, ‘Wow, I won another race,’ which is really cool, at one of my worst racetracks statistically.
“Definitely short-term it’s not a race win, it’s an advance in the Playoffs. We get a chance to race for a championship.”
Bell believes the pressure is behind him, that the championship race is very straightforward.
“This next week is easy,” he said. “We don’t have to focus on stage points or where we’re at compared to everyone else. It’s just one race.
“Whoever brings the best car and executes the best is going to win the race, the championship.
“Whatever happens, happens, and I’m very proud to be in this position. The sport is all about people. Fortunately for me I ended up with the best people around me.”