October 20, 2024

For the second year in a row, Christopher Bell fell short of victory by placing second at the end of Sunday's South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Beginning the race from the pole position, Bell quickly established himself as the dominant driver of the day. In the first stage, Bell led over half of the laps before a caution for an Austin Dillon crash would set him back, as he took four tires during pit stops while other drivers took two. Bell, with his fresher tires, made it back to second by the end of the first stage and scored stage points. During the second stage, Bell avoided trouble and wrecks, and despite multiple pit stops, he had a car that was fast enough to grab the lead again to win the second stage. During the final stage, the No. 20 Toyota driver continued to lead until his final pit stop on Lap 229. From there, Bell chased down other drivers who were trying to save fuel and stay ahead, including Daniel Suarez and Joey Logano. Despite his best efforts, Bell was not fast enough to catch Logano on the final lap and had to settle for second, matching his career-best Cup Series finish at Las Vegas. With the Cup Series moving onto Homestead-Miami Speedway for the second race of the Round of 8 in the playoffs, Bell is now 42 points ahead of the cutoff line and is heading to a track where he is the defending winner.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: NASCAR.com