Sunday, July 17th, 2022
New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Loudon, NH
Christopher Bell has quietly established himself as a New England force over the past three years coming up the NASCAR ranks and on Sunday afternoon, he convincingly earned his biggest triumph to date there, a victory in the NASCAR Cup Series Ambetter 301 and a ticket to the 2022 Playoffs.
Bell led the last 42 laps of the 301-lapper at the one-mile New Hampshire Motor Speedway claiming the trophy – and the traditional lobster hoist in Victory Lane – with a massive 5.767-second victory over last week’s race winner Chase Elliott.
It’s only the second NASCAR Cup Series win for the third-year driver of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota but oh, so significant as it launches the 27-year old Oklahoman into a guaranteed Playoff contention. The 14th different winner of the season came into the race ranked last among the top-16 drivers that would advance to the Playoffs. Now he has secured his title run.
“Man, that one was much needed right there,” said Bell, who won three consecutive NASCAR Xfinity Series races at the track from 2019-2021 and was runner-up in last year’s NASCAR Cup Series race there.
“I tell you what, that was a helluva race from my viewpoint. It was so much fun racing with the 45 (Kurt Busch), the 22 (Joey Logano) and the 9 (Elliott). We were all running different lines. That was a blast. Just so happy to be here at Joe Gibbs Racing and so good to get that 20 car back in victory lane.”
“Winning Cup races is hard,’’ he added with a smile, thanking the crowd. “Just seems like we’ve been close then we had fallen off a little bit last week. I was talking to my best friend and I told him, ‘earlier in the year I felt like we were right on the verge of winning. Then the last couple of weeks I felt like we were pretty far away.
“But here we are today.’’
Elliott, who hasn’t finished worse than second in the last four races (including two victories), said he just didn’t have anything for Bell at the very end.
“I feel like just a poor run of execution on my end in the last run,’’ said Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. “It took me a while to get past Joey (Logano) and the 45 (Busch) and I had to run harder than I wanted to.
“Just make a couple mistakes and couldn’t get much breathing room.”
The string of top-two finishes was of little consolation to the 2020 series champion.
“When you’re in position like we’ve been in, you need to finish it off.’’
Bubba Wallace, driver of the No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota, turned in a career best day at New Hampshire finishing third – his second top-five of the season but first top-10 since a 10th place at Kansas eight races ago.
“Just proud of the team, proud of myself and proud of everybody at the shop,’’ Wallace said, adding, “It’s been hell for me the last month so good to come out with a top-five.
“This sport humbles you so there’s really no surprises. Have to keep the task at hand and be mindful of your surroundings and do your job.’’
Bell’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Martin Truex Jr. finished fourth followed by Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick.
The pole sitter Truex won both stages – his series-leading sixth and seventh of the year – and led a race best 182 laps; including the first 95 consecutively to start the race.
His No 19 JGR Toyota certainly looked like the car to beat, but a two-tire stop for him – and for Harvick – with about 100 laps to go turned out to unsettle the car and he dropped briefly outside the top-10 before racing back to his fist top-five since a fifth place at Talladega, Ala. in April.
JGR’s Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, Trackhouse Racing’s teammates Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez and 23XI Racing’s Kurt Busch rounded out the top-10. Seventh place was Keselowski’s best finish of the season in his first year as co-owner/driver of the No. 6 Roush Fenway Keselowski Ford.
With Chastain’s 14th top-10 and Ryan Blaney’s 18th place finish, there was significant movement atop the championship standings. Chastain has moved into second place, 67 points behind the leader Elliott. Blaney – who is still looking for his first victory of the season – is now third.
Truex, who is also still racing for a Playoff-securing victory is now in the 16th and final Playoff position – 68 points ahead of Harvick, who has not won in 2022 either.
ENTRY | # | DRIVER | HOMETOWN | DOB | AGE | MAKE | SPONSOR | TEAM | CREW CHIEF |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 16 | AJ Allmendinger | Los Gatos, CA | Dec 16, 1981 | 42 | Chevrolet | Gold Fish Casino Slots | Kaulig Racing | Matt Swiderski |
2 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Tampa, FL | Mar 14, 1984 | 40 | Ford | Smithfield | Stewart-Haas Racing | Drew Blickensderfer |
3 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | Auburn Hills, MI | Feb 12, 1984 | 40 | Ford | Kohler Generators | RFK Racing | Matt McCall |
4 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Chesterfield, VA | Nov 18, 1980 | 43 | Toyota | FedEx Ground | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chris Gabehart |
5 | 15 | JJ Yeley | Phoenix, AZ | Oct 5, 1976 | 48 | Ford | Adirondack Tree Surgeons | Rick Ware Racing | Kevyn Rebolledo |
6 | 22 | Joey Logano | Middleton, CT | May 24, 1990 | 34 | Ford | Shell Pennzoil | Team Penske | Paul Wolfe |
7 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Bakersfield, CA | Dec 8, 1975 | 48 | Ford | GEARWRENCH | Stewart-Haas Racing | Rodney Childers |
8 | 45 | Kurt Busch | Las Vegas, NV | Aug 4, 1978 | 46 | Toyota | SiriusXM Radio | 23XI Racing | Billy Scott |
9 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Las Vegas, NV | May 2, 1985 | 39 | Toyota | DeWalt | Joe Gibbs Racing | Ben Beshore |
10 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr | Mayetta, NJ | Jun 29, 1980 | 44 | Toyota | Interstate Batteries | Joe Gibbs Racing | James Small |
11 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Phoenix, AZ | Dec 21, 1984 | 39 | Ford | FloRacing | Front Row Motorsports | Blake Harris |
12 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Lewisville, NC | Apr 27, 1990 | 34 | Chevrolet | Bass Pro Shops /TRACKER Off Road | Richard Childress Racing | Justin Alexander |
13 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr | Olive Branch, MS | Oct 2, 1987 | 37 | Chevrolet | Kroger/ Minute Rice | JTG Daugherty Racing | Brian Pattie |
14 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Sacremento, CA | Jul 31, 1992 | 32 | Chevrolet | HendrickCars.com | Hendrick Motorsports | Kevin Meendering |
15 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Tuscon, AZ | Apr 25, 1993 | 31 | Chevrolet | Ally | Hendrick Motorsports | Greg Ives |
16 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | High Point, NC | Dec 31, 1993 | 30 | Ford | Menards\Libman | Team Penske | Jonathan Hassler |
17 | 7 | Corey Lajoie | Kannapolis, NC | Sep 25, 1991 | 33 | Chevrolet | Built.com | Spire Motorsports | Ryan Sparks |
18 | 42 | Ty Dillon | Lewisville, NC | Feb 27, 1992 | 32 | Chevrolet | Allegiant | Petty GMS Motorsports | Jerame Donley |
19 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Dawsonville, GA | Nov 28, 1995 | 28 | Chevrolet | NAPA Auto Parts | Hendrick Motorsports | Alan Gustafson |
20 | 17 | Chris Buescher | Prosper, TX | Oct 29, 1992 | 31 | Ford | Fastenal | RFK Racing | Travis Peterson |
21 | 43 | Erik Jones | Byron, MI | May 30, 1996 | 28 | Chevrolet | FOCUSfactor | Petty GMS Motorsports | Dave Elenz |
22 | 78 | BJ McLeod | Wauchula, FL | Nov 17, 1983 | 40 | Ford | Surface Sunscreen | Live Fast Motorsports | Lee Leslie |
23 | 99 | Daniel Suarez | Monterrey, Mexico | Jan 7, 1992 | 32 | Chevrolet | SLAM! | TrackHouse Racing | Travis Mack |
24 | 51 | Cody Ware | Greensboro, NC | Nov 7, 1995 | 28 | Ford | Nurtec ODT | Rick Ware Racing | Billy Plourde |
25 | 1 | Ross Chastain | Alva, FL | Dec 4, 1992 | 31 | Chevrolet | Worldwide Express | TrackHouse Racing | Phil Surgen |
26 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | Mobile, AL | Oct 8, 1993 | 30 | Toyota | Draft Kings | 23XI Racing | Bootie Barker |
27 | 24 | William Byron | Charlotte, NC | Nov 29, 1997 | 26 | Chevrolet | Liberty University | Hendrick Motorsports | Rudy Fugle |
28 | 41 | Cole Custer | Ladera Ranch, CA | Jan 23, 1998 | 26 | Ford | HaasTooling.com | Stewart-Haas Racing | Mike Shiplett |
29 | 77 | Josh Bilicki | Menomonee Falls, WI | Jun 3, 1995 | 29 | Chevrolet | Zeigler Auto / Ditec Marine | Spire Motorsports | Kevin Bellicourt |
30 | 8 | Tyler Reddick | Corning, CA | Jan 11, 1996 | 28 | Chevrolet | Guaranteed Rate | Richard Childress Racing | Randall Burnett |
31 | 31 | Justin Haley | Winamac, IN | Apr 28, 1999 | 25 | Chevrolet | LeafFilter Gutter Protection | Kaulig Racing | Trent Owens |
32 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Norman, OK | Dec 16, 1994 | 29 | Toyota | Rheem / WATTS | Joe Gibbs Racing | Adam Stevens |
33 | 2 | Austin Cindric | Columbus, OH | Sep 2, 1998 | 26 | Ford | Autotrader | Team Penske | Jeremy Bullins |
34 | 14 | Chase Briscoe | Mitchell, IN | Dec 15, 1994 | 29 | Ford | Mahindra Tractors | Stewart-Haas Racing | Johnny Klausmeier |
35 | 21 | Harrison Burton | Huntersville, NC | Oct 9, 2000 | 23 | Ford | Motorcraft \ Quick Lane | Wood Brothers Racing | Brian Wilson |
36 | 38 | Todd Gilliland | Sherrills Ford, NC | May 15, 2000 | 24 | Ford | Chicago Pneumatic Compressors | Front Row Motorsports | Seth Barbour |