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USA TODAY Sports activities’ Josh Peter speaks with NASCAR drivers Denny Hamlin and Bubba Wallace about partnerning with Michael Jordan at 23XI Racing.
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NASCAR driver Christopher Bell has skilled each main wins and losses at Martinsville Speedway.Bell is returning to Martinsville for the Xfinity 500, a race that can decide the Championship 4 playoff discipline.He enters the race 37 factors above the reduce line however might have a win or a top-two end to advance.A win by a driver at the moment outdoors the highest 4 may jeopardize Bell’s place within the playoffs.
Christopher Bell’s NASCAR Cup profession has seen its highest of highs and lowest of lows at Martinsville Speedway.
His playoff win on the half-mile monitor in Ridgeway, Virginia, in 2022 clinched his spot within the Championship 4 to keep away from sure elimination.
And a yr in the past — once more needing a win to maintain his playoff desires alive — the 30-year-old Norman native slid into the wall throughout a desperation try and make one remaining go and acquire the factors he wanted to advance. However making the go as he rode the wall, a transfer that was banned in NASCAR a yr earlier, Bell was penalized and eradicated from the playoffs.
“I’ve had ups and downs at Martinsville, that’s for certain,” Bell informed The Oklahoman this week. “I’ve had in all probability the most important win of my profession a pair years in the past to make it to the Championship 4, after which I had in all probability the most important lack of my profession final yr, getting kicked out.
“I’ve skilled the highs and lows of Martinsville, however one factor’s for certain. Should you’re going to to on and be a NASCAR champion, you gotta be good there.”
Now, Bell is again at Martinsville for the Xfinity 500, set for 1 p.m. Sunday on NBC. And like earlier years, this race will trim the playoff discipline from eight to the Championship 4.
“There’s gonna be lots of depth at Martinsville,” Bell stated. “Actually, we’re going there with the mentality that we’re gonna should win the race. We’re gonna must be up entrance, main laps, scoring lots of stage factors.
“It may very well be completely pointless, and I hope it’s. That’ll make my day a complete lot much less anxious. However we’re anticipating a battle and that’s what we’re gearing up for.”
This time round, Bell’s playoff place is much less precarious. Whereas a win would assure his spot as a finalist, he additionally enters 37 factors above the reduce line within the third place, with Kyle Larson one level behind him within the fourth and remaining spot.
Bell’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe have received the final two races to seal their spots and are actually ready for Bell to hitch them.
However even a 37-point edge isn’t a assure.
Of the 4 playoff drivers at the moment sitting outdoors the reduce line — William Byron, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott — every of them has not less than one earlier win and a number of other races in rivalry for wins at Martinsville.
A win by a type of 4 would bump Bell down a spot, leaving him in a battle with Larson, who solely trails by some extent and owns the head-to-head tiebreaker over Bell.
That actually leaves Bell understanding a third-place end won’t be adequate, if the fallacious two drivers are forward of him on the finish. However ending not less than second will lock him into his third look within the Championship 4.
Solely in his sixth yr within the Cup Collection, Bell has completed fifth or higher the earlier three seasons. He has now reached the playoffs 5 straight years.
And if he can replicate his outcomes from the summer time race at Martinsville, he’ll head to Phoenix Raceway on Nov. 2 with a shot on the title.
“The summer time race helps me be ok with what we’ve got,” Bell stated. “And even off of that race, we really feel like we made lots of good points on our vehicles to enhance efficiency. And I believe I’m gonna be a greater driver this time.
“I believe we’ve bought all of the instruments we have to go on the market and have success.”
NASCAR playoff standings
Listed below are the standings heading into Martinsville, the ultimate cease earlier than the Nov. 2 championship race at Phoenix:
Chase Briscoe: Clinched Championship 4 berthDenny Hamlin: Clinched Championship 4 berthChristopher Bell: +37 pointsKyle Larson: +36 pointsWilliam Byron: -36 pointsJoey Logano: -38 pointsRyan Blaney: -47 pointsChase Elliott: -62 factors
