Christopher Bell kept adding to his growing resume on Sunday night.
The Toyota driver got physical with Joey Logano with 10 laps to go, moved past the No. 22 Ford and won NASCAR’s $1 million payday, the All-Star Race, at historic North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway.
Bell’s Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 became the third Toyota to win the high-dollar race when he went low on Logano and beat the defending race champion by 0.829 seconds on the tiny track in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina.
“That right there is absolutely incredible,” said Bell, who led 28 laps in his first All-Star win. “North Wilkesboro is the best short track on the schedule. … (My team) is the big picture. I’m the guy who gets up here and talks to you and takes pictures. Without them, I’m nobody. I owe it all these guys.”
Logano led 139 laps but found himself at a tire deficit after the late promoter’s caution session — and he was upset after the race.
“Dang it,” the reigning Cup champ said, “we had the fastest car. … I thought maybe we could hold them off. I couldn’t get away. … I’m just frustrated after leading so many laps and the car’s so fast and you don’t win. It hurts quite a bit.”
Following Logano were Ross Chastain, Alex Bowman and Chase Elliott.
It was the third All-Star Race win by JGR and the first by Toyota since 2017 when Kyle Busch won at Charlotte. Bell won his first All-Star Race after capturing three races earlier this season.
Larson returned from Indianapolis Motor Speedway, started in Row 10 in the 23-car field and finished 21st.
Starting from the pole position, Brad Keselowski and his No. 6 RFK Racing Ford were under attack from the start as former teammate Logano, Bell and Elliott made hard charges to the front to try to steal the lead, all to no avail.
Keselowski held the high line and got his best challenge from Logano, who raced out of the Penske stable with the 2012 champ until the 2022 season. Keselowski stayed up high, while Logano could not muster the pass and leaned on his tires from the low lane.
The first caution flew just before the field turned 60 circuits on the 0.625-mile short track. Keselowski, William Byron and Busch decided on just a two-tire change while most of the field chose four.
Just after Lap 100, NASCAR threw a scheduled competition caution, and every team hit pit road for service — with Bell, Logano and Elliott emerging as the top three.
With 100 laps left in the high-stakes race, three-time champ Logano led Bell, teammate Ryan Blaney, Elliott and Bowman, alternating hot laps and backing off to save his tires at times.
After Keselowski’s problems with less than 80 laps left forced another caution, Larson gained six spots and took the lead when his crew gambled on a two-tire stop.
From the flag stand, Michael Waltrip waved the promoter’s caution with 35 laps left, then dropped the flag on the track as fireworks went off between Turns 3 and 4 before Logano restarted the race with the lead with 28 laps remaining.
–Field Level Media
