'I feel cheated out of a chance to compete for a championship' - Bell

11/09/2024 04:31 PM

The events of NASCAR’s Cup Series Championship 4 decider at Martinsville are still raw for Joe Gibbs Racing's Christopher Bell, on the outside looking in as four other drivers prepare to fight it out for the championship in Phoenix on Sunday.

"I feel cheated," Bell said. "I feel cheated out of a chance to compete for a championship. It all stems from what happened 15, 20 to go – whenever the race got fixed, manipulated by Chevrolet. That forced our hands to do what we did, and ultimately it forced me into a mistake on the last lap to get into the wall, and I feel like I should never have been in that position. Had the race been run fairly, the No. 24 car (William Byron) would’ve lost enough spots to get me into the final race."

Bell was penalized after the finish of the Martinsville race for wall-riding on the final lap while trying to get around Bubba Wallace and secure enough points to make the Championship 4 at the expense of Byron. Byron, meanwhile, had three other Chevrolet-powered cars holding station behind him to help him preserve his track position. Bell qualified for the Championship 4 ahead of Byron on a tie-break based on where they crossed the finish line, but the penalty dropped him from 18th to 22nd. Byron finished sixth, and inherited Bell's Championship 4 spot when the penalty was announced.

Should Christopher Bell race for the NASCAR Championship?

Watch this move on the final lap. pic.twitter.com/3A3BrNe0fd

— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) November 3, 2024

"I hate calling the last lap ‘a move’ because it was not a move," Bell said. "My intentions were never to ride the wall. I didn’t gain an advantage riding the wall, so it was not a move, and I don’t believe that I broke the rule.

"I feel like I should be in the Championship 4. In the race, when the manipulation happened, it was clear that I needed a position, and with the No. 23 (Wallace) dropping back, we got that position and whenever we crossed the finish line, (my) No. 20 car was in. So with the cards that were dealt, the No. 20 car was in position to make the championship event, and we’re not in it."

Bell said that he was not aware of his point situation until the closing laps of the race.

"I was informed with probably 20 or 25 to go that the No. 24 was bleeding positions," he said. "And it appeared at that point that we were going to be fine and make it on points. As the run continued, I actually got visuals on the No. 24 car and saw him backing the field up. Then it was probably 10 to go when I realized what was going on and that the No. 24 was indeed done bleeding positions, so I thought at that point that my race was over. I didn’t know that the No. 23 car was a point for me until the last lap. I knew that I had to pass him, and I got by him going in to Turn 3, and unfortunately I slid into the wall."

At that point, Bell said, he was aware of the tactics being used by the Chevrolet cars.

"I could very clearly see the race manipulation and race fixing that was going on," he said.

"It’s tough. I mean, this has been one of the hardest things that I’ve had to go through as a race car driver. I believe ‘cheated’ is the right word. We go through sessions at the beginning of the year to make sure that we don’t do this. That, unfortunately, is what happened and I was on the losing side of it."

Bell admitted his predicament makes for some mixed emotions ahead of Sunday's race. His job is to win races – but in this case, victory will be the ultimate reminder of what should have been.

"It’s going to be tough," he said. "No matter how it goes, you want to do well and we’re going to put our best foot forward to do well. But if we do well and have a successful weekend, then it’s going to be even more of a bummer and a disappointment. It’s a very perplexing feeling going into this weekend, and one that I hope that I never have again."

One thing that Bell takes solace in: his body of work across the season, which opened with a third place at the Daytona 500 and yielded three victories going into Phoenix.

"This 2024 season has been the best in my career across all forms of the statistics – more top 10s, more top fives, more laps led," he said. "That’s something that we tried to emphasize going into 2024, coming off our 2022, 2023 (season), being in the championship race but feeling like we haven’t performed at our highest. Even leaving 2024, I feel like it’s more of the same, where we left a lot on the table. I’m happy and I’m pleased that I have set career highs for myself, and I am hopeful and optimistic that I can keep breaking those barriers and winning more races, leading more laps, winning more stages, more top 10s, more top fives."

Before he can do that, he needs to draw a line under the disappointment of how his 2024 ended, and the fact that, from his view, his destiny was taken out of his own hands. The best medicine so far has been putting on the helmet.

"Whenever I get in the car, I have been able to turn off everything that’s going on around me and focus on the task at hand," he said. "Frankly, I look forward to that. Practice was fun. I got to get into my zone and drive a race car. It’s all of the stuff outside of the car, where you’re not in race car driver mode, that’s not fun and is heartbreak and disappointment. I look forward to putting my helmet on and getting out of the world; getting into my race car."