Nearly halfway through Stage 3, Christopher Bell was proclaimed the champion of the 2024 Coca-Cola 373.5. Torrential downpours pummeled downtown Charlotte, and lightning struck nearby, prompting NASCAR to call off the “longest race of the year” after only 249 laps, well short of the planned 600 laps. Rain turned what was shaping up to be a true ‘Memorial Day’ classic into an unpredictable series of sad circumstances.
That was clear from the boos that greeted the #20 driver in victory lane for his maiden race win on the ‘crown jewel’ intermediate. Some would call it the Toyota influence, while others would scoff at his race team affiliation, especially since his colleague who finished fifth, Denny Hamlin, is possibly the most disliked guy in NASCAR’s current landscape.
However, Bell has since hit back at his critics with signature composure, disregarding lady luck for her part in JGR’s fifth victory of the season.
Christopher Bell defends “Asterisk” 373.5-mile victory
When all was said and done, NASCAR announced that due to heavy rains, and impending ‘track drying’ delays pushing the expected restart time beyond the intended, the unofficial results would hold Stage 2 winner Christopher Bell as the winner of the 2024 Coca-Cola 600. Due to front-row battles with the #20 car up top leading up to the sudden stop in festivities, Brad Keselowski would retain his circumstantial runner-up position. P3 finisher, William Byron pulled a breathtaking ‘pass on the grass’ over Tyler Reddick through the tri-oval for P3 right before lightning struck within proximity of the Charlotte Motor Speedway
According to Bell, he “was literally on the couch like half-asleep” waiting for the race to restart when announcements from NASCAR put him in a “twist of emotions.” The #20 was ecstatic to find out that after leading the most laps out of all 40 drivers entered on Sunday, he would claim his eighth career Cup victory at the hallowed home track of premier-tier stock car racing. Contrarily, his excitements were by only his crew members and a few others in victory lane as boos followed Bell on his momentous occasion.
Addressing his reception after the race, Bell told the media, “Oh, I got booed out of the place… It’s just another one to my career man. There’s a lot of my wins that have come that way. Whether it was Ross (Chastain) right in the wall at Martinsville or… heck I don’t know. It feels like whenever I win these things they have an asterisk on them, but that’s alright. It’s still a win for me.”
Bell’s emotions could stem from the consistent under-appreciation from the NASCAR community despite his strong performances since the NextGen car’s arrival in 2022. The #20 won three races that year and his third and final victory at Martinsville earned him a best-ever third-place finish in the points standings. But most remember this race for Ross Chastain’s “Hail Melon” move on the final lap to pass several cars and round off the top 5.
Ironically, this year’s Coca-Cola 373.5 gathered its ‘shine’ from the man who finished P2 behind Bell that day – Kyle Larson. The #5’s disappointing 1100-mile double-duty attempt, ultimately rained out by Mother Nature is a primary reason Bell’s race win has gone relatively under the radar.
Regardless, steadfast in his pursuits, with/without the wider support often showered on his teammates and other drivers, Bell makes a respectable 9-word declaration. “So it’s not like we just lucked into these things…” Justifying all claims of a hard-fought victory further, the #20 driver concluded, “We led laps. I passed for the lead. We had great pit stops, pit crew did amazing. It was just 400 miles instead of 600 miles.”
Be the first to comment