Christopher Bell: ‘I feel cheated out of a chance to compete for a championship’

AVONDALE, Ariz. — Upset that he is not racing for a championship, a candid Christopher Bell said Saturday that he was “cheated” by Chevrolet teams that “fixed and manipulated” the finish of last weekend’s playoff race at Martinsville Speedway.

“This has been one of the hardest things that I have had to go through as a race car driver,” Bell said. “I believe cheated is the right word.”

NASCAR suspends 9 people from 3 teams, issues $600K in fines for actions at end of Martinsville race

NASCAR suspended nine people and issued a total of $600,000 in fines to three teams for their actions at the end of last weekend’s Cup race at Martinsville Speedway.

Bell remains upset that the Chevrolet teams of Austin Dillon and Ross Chastain blocked cars from passing Chevy driver William Byron in the final laps at Martinsville when Byron could not afford to lose any positions or he would fall out of a transfer spot to the Championship 4.

Had Byron lost any more spots, Bell would have been in position to secure the final transfer spot to Sunday’s title race at Phoenix Raceway (3 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock).

“I feel cheated,” Bell said. “I feel cheated out of a chance to compete for a championship. It all stems from what happened (with) 15-20 (laps) to go, whenever the race got fixed and 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.

“I feel I should never have been in that position. Had the race been ran fairly, (Byron) would have lost enough spots to get me into the final race.”

With Byron insulated by Chevrolet teams, Bell found himself one position away from transferring. Bubba Wallace slowed significantly on the final lap. Wallace claimed something was off with the car after the race, and 23XI Racing co-owner Denny Hamlin said Saturday that there was an issue with the right rear tire on Wallace’s car.

Bell passed Wallace entering Turn 3 on the final lap. As Bell got by Wallace, he drifted into the wall and rode along it through Turn 4 in a move similar to Chastain’s “Hail Melon” move in 2022.

“My intentions were never to ride the wall,” Bell said. “I didn’t gain an advantage riding the wall. It was not a move. I don’t believe that I broke the rule.”

NASCAR has since outlawed Chastain’s move along the wall and penalized Bell for the maneuver, dropping him from 18th to 22nd (last among the cars a lap down). That allowed Byron to claim the final transfer position over Bell.

NASCAR explains decision against Bell that sends Byron to championship race

NASCAR dropped Christopher Bell from 18th to 22nd for riding against the wall on the final lap at Martinsville.

Bell contends the last lap would not have occurred that way if Chevrolet teams had not blocked for Byron.

“As the run continued, I actually got visuals on (Byron) and saw him backing the field up and it was then probably 10 to go when I realized what was going on and (Byron) was bleeding positions,” Bell said. “I thought, at that point, my race was over. I didn’t know that (Wallace) was a point for me until the last lap. I knew that I had to pass him. I got by him going into Turn 3 and, unfortunately, I slid into the wall.”

NASCAR suspended nine people and issued $600,000 in fines to members of the teams of Dillon, Chastain and Wallace.

“What I saw in Martinsville pissed me off and it pissed everyone off at NASCAR because we all know better,” said NASCAR Chief Operating Officer Steve O’Donnell during a media session Friday with NASCAR President Steve Phelps.

NASCAR delivers stern message to manufacturers; drivers to be talked to Saturday at Phoenix

A NASCAR executive used blunt language to describe what series officials thought about how teams tried to manipulate the end of the Martinsville race.

“We know what happened. So we do have rules in the rule book where we can address it and we did. We had a call with our (manufacturers on Wednesday) where we were very clear in what our intentions are going forward.

“Do we have a rule right now where we could do something (to penalize manufacturers)? We don’t. Will we have a rule next year? 1,000%. They’re aware of that. They’re aware that if anything happens this weekend, which it won’t, we will react.”

NASCAR also spoke to drivers in a meeting Saturday about what happened at Martinsville.

Asked ahead of the meeting if there was anything he wanted to say to NASCAR or wanted to hear in the meeting, Bell said: “I don’t know how to answer that question. We all know how and if we are putting 100 percent effort into a race, and I don’t know what the answer is, but something has to change to get us out of this box that we are in of manufacturer help and manipulating races to help guys get certain positions. It is not right racing, and it is not fair.”

Even so, Bell remains out of the Championship 4. He won at Phoenix in March and could have been the favorite to win his first Cup title had he advanced.

So what if he wins Sunday’s race?

“If we do well and have a successful weekend, then it’s going to be even more of a bummer and disappointment,” Bell said. “It’s a very perplexing feeling going into this weekend and one that I hope I never have again.”