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William Byron had to hold his breath, cross his fingers and wait Sunday.
And then wait some more.
During the final turn of the NASCAR playoff race at Martinsville, Christopher Bell sped past a slowed Bubba Wallace and rode the wall to finish in the necessary spot to supplant Byron in the standings and secure a championship final four berth. It reminded fans of Ross Chastain’s “Hail Melon” maneuver from two years ago.
The problem?
It was outlawed after Chastain did it.
William Byron benefits from NASCAR review of Christopher Bell
NASCAR reviewed the move for more than 20 minutes after the conclusion of Sunday’s race.
If it was deemed legal, Bell would advance. If not, Byron would join Joey Logano, Tyler Reddick and the winner of Sunday’s race, Ryan Blaney, in next weekend’s final.
Of course, Bell and Byron had differing opinions.
“I don’t know what to say,” Bell told NBC Sports. “I understand the rule is made to prevent people from riding the wall, but my move was completely different than Ross riding the wall. I don’t know what to say.”
“Yeah, there’s a rule against it,” Byron said. “We all sat in meetings and talked about whether there should be a rule against it. Front tires were off the ground coming off four there against the fence. It happened in the past and it was fair game, but now the rule is against it, so I don’t see how you can call it any different.”
The decision: Bell was penalized. Byron survived.
The “safety violation” dropped Bell from 18th to 22nd, leaving him behind Byron in the playoff standings. Byron crossed the line sixth.
Was NASCAR correct to deny Bell? Or did he get screwed out of a championship spot?
What’s your call?
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: NASCAR playoffs poll: Christopher Bell or William Byron? Your call
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