CONCORD, N.C. — Christopher Bell was in a must-win situation entering Sunday. And thanks to some Roval chaos, he did just that.
Chase Elliott was in cruise control for much of Stage 3, maintaining a four-second lead as the race stayed under green for the most it ever has in the history of the Roval at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
But a sponsorship sign on the inside wall on Turn 7 that blew onto the track prompted a caution and a restart with six laps to go, and flung the race into chaos. Elliott, contending for the lead, got nudged by Tyler Reddick and spun out — paving the way for Kevin Harvick to move into the lead and Christopher Bell to move into P2.
Then came a six-minute red flag — reparations needed to be made to the racetrack — and a final restart. Bell then pushed ahead on that final restart and pulled away from the rest of the bumping field.
Kevin Harvick hung on for second place on Sunday, and Kyle Busch placed third.
Who advanced to the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs?
With the win, Christopher Bell automatically advanced to the Round of 8 in the NASCAR playoffs. But who else made it through? With the chaotic finish, it was tough to tell.
Here’s what the scoring tells us:
Elliott, Ryan Blaney, Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, William Byron, Ross Chastain, Chase Briscoe and Bell have advanced to the Round of 8.
One driver with a heartbreaking Sunday was Daniel Suarez. The No. 99 car lost power steering late in Stage 3, and he fell and fell in the field. Suarez ended five laps down.
His TrackHouse Racing teammate, Chastain, also had a rough day. The No. 1 car team pushed the car into the garage in Stage 3 thanks to mechanical issues, but Chastain’s points were enough to allow him to remain in the playoff field, even after Bell won.
Unofficial results from Charlotte Motor Speedway
