AVONDALE, Ariz. — Time has not eased Christopher Bell's pain. The controversial finish at Martinsville Speedway and his elimination from the playoffs have left him feeling cheated and disappointed.
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"I just feel cheated out of a chance to compete for a championship," Bell said Saturday afternoon at Phoenix Raceway. "I mean, it all stems from what happened with 15-20 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 like I should never have been in that position. Had the race been ran fairly, the 24 car would have lost enough spots to get me into the final race."
The manipulation, which led to major penalties from NASCAR, occurred when Ross Chastain and Austin Dillon rode next to each other behind William Byron in the closing laps. They prevented Byron from losing positions and points.
Bell was eliminated from the playoffs due to an incident on the final lap of the race. He passed Bubba Wallace for position and then slammed into the outside wall. He remained against the wall for several seconds on the last lap of the race.
NASCAR determined that this was a safety violation, so competition officials penalized him. This dropped Bell multiple spots and put Byron into the Championship 4 on points.
NASCAR also issued a penalty to Wallace for race manipulation the week after the race.
"I hate calling the last lap a move, because it was not a move," Bell said. "You know, 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."
Regardless of how Bell feels about the last lap of the Martinsville race, he can't change NASCAR's decision. He remains eliminated from the playoffs and out of contention for the title. The best he can finish this season is fifth in points, where he sits entering the final weekend of the season.
Bell still has motivation. He still has a win to pursue, which would benefit Joe Gibbs Racing and the team's sponsors. It would add another trophy to his collection and move him into a tie with Clint Bowyer, Donnie Allison, and Sterling Marlin for 63rd on the all-time wins list.
That doesn't mean Bell still won't feel cheated even if he wins at Phoenix.
"It's going to be tough, I mean, no matter how it goes," Bell said. "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."
