Christopher Bell Powers His Way To A Podium Finish At Darlington
3 months agoFor this year's Cookout Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, Christopher Bell finished third. Starting from the ninth position, Bell slowly worked towards the front right in the beginning of the first stage. After making two green flag pit stops, the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota driver ended up in fifth and scored stage points by the end of the first stage. In the second stage, Bell tried to use pit strategy to gain track position but ultimately wound up fifth by the end of the stage. In the final stage, Bell received damage from hitting the wall and making contact with Josh Berry. This damage did not deter Bell for the rest of the race; however, he used pit strategy effectively by pitting at different times compared to the rest of the field for fresher tires to nab track position. Bell made it as high as second by the race's final restart before losing position to Kyle Busch. As a result, Bell would place third, a new career-best finish at Darlington for the Toyota racer in the Cup Series. With the Cup Series heading to Atlanta next, Bell will look for his second career top-5 finish at the site since 2022.
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com