Christopher Bell had the dropping hand at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the second consecutive NASCAR Cup Sequence playoff race.
Bell, similar to a yr in the past, was working down the race chief on the finish of Sunday’s race however got here up brief. He dominated the afternoon for 155 laps led and a stage win, however Joey Logano and the No. 22 crew rolled the cube and gained at Bell’s expense. Logano jumped the sphere by his crew enjoying the gas mileage sport.
“I undoubtedly really feel like I executed my race, our crew executed our race, and it simply wasn’t meant to be at the moment,” Bell mentioned. “That’s a dagger. That’s extra of a dagger than final yr.”
There wasn’t far more Bell may ask for over the ultimate stint. The ultimate warning of the South Level 400 flew with 75 laps to go and Bell saved the race lead on and off pit highway, however he wound up being one in all a handful of drivers who was dropped at pit earlier than the top of the race to make sure making it on gas.
Bell pitted from the race lead with 38 laps to go. Logano took the lead with 5 laps to go; Bell had reached third place by then. The hole was 2.6s, and it was beneath a second on the white flag.
“They received on me with most likely 15 laps to go and mentioned we will’t afford to have any lack of time and I didn’t really feel I gave up any chunks of time,” Bell mentioned. “I felt like all of the lapped site visitors was fairly respectful and I used to be capable of get via fairly good.”
There was no accounting for Logano having a teammate behind him. Ryan Blaney, the reigning sequence champion who was a number of laps down from an incident earlier within the day, helped Logano get to the race lead after which trailed his teammate to the end. At that time, it didn’t matter how a lot time was left or how briskly Bell was coming when he felt Blaney was enjoying protection.
“It was going to take the proper transfer to get by him, however we had, what was it, 30, nearly 40 lap newer tires than him and clearly much more tempo than what he had at the moment,” Bell mentioned. “I simply didn’t get there in 267 laps, although.”
Blaney, nevertheless, noticed issues otherwise. He resented any suggestion he was blocking or doing something to assist Logano’s effort.
“[Bell] didn’t get to me till the final nook,” Blaney mentioned. “I don’t know what [makes] you assume I’m blocking him. I’m working the highest. I’m not taking anybody’s air away. He ought to have possibly gotten to the [No.] 22 faster; he would have been capable of move me fairly straightforward. However he was half a lap too late.”
Bell conceded it was truthful sport and credited Blaney with doing as a lot. Logano’s win and Blaney’s disappointing day not solely put them on reverse ends of the cutline however created a giant hole in factors for the remaining seven drivers.
Nevertheless, it nonetheless left Bell feeling disillusioned, and in addition having a little bit of deja vu.
“I misplaced an Xfinity race right here — I feel it was 2019 — in actually the very same means the place the yellow flag comes out on the surface of the window, I’m main the race and should make a pit cease, and somebody within the again stretches,” Bell mentioned. “I’ve seen it earlier than, and I couldn’t consider it. Once we went inexperienced, Adam [Stevens] informed me that we had been 4 or 5 [laps] brief, and no person topped off, so I didn’t assume there was an opportunity anybody may make it at that time. Then he keyed up and mentioned a few them are attempting to stretch it, and I’m like, effectively, absolutely, they’re going to expire, proper?
“They didn’t run out.”
Bell sits the best above the cutline of the drivers with out a victory. He’s 42 factors to the nice going into the second race within the spherical.
“It’s a optimistic, however nothing is assured on this sport,” Bell mentioned. “We watched Justin Allgaier have a 40-something level lead going into Bristol and lose the common season championship. Nothing is assured besides a win. A win is assured.
“We had a win proper at our fingertips.”
