“Something Has to Change”: Christopher Bell Finally Breaks Silence on NASCAR Race Manipulation Controversy

Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell was one of the few drivers hoping to challenge for the championship this weekend in Phoenix back when the sport was racing in Martinsville last Sunday. However, as things transpired on and off the track, the #20 Toyota Camry XSE driver lost his Final 4 spot after initially making the cut.

NASCAR’s Round of 8 culminated at the short track last weekend with controversial moves by several drivers, one of whom was Bell himself. The 29-year-old was penalized by the governance for what was a wall ride akin to Ross Chastain’s previous ‘Hail Melon’ attempt and was left disgruntled with what the lack of penalties against fellow driver and championship contender William Byron meant for his title aspirations.

Out of championship contention, as Byron challenges for the title alongside the likes of Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, and Tyler Reddick this Sunday, Bell broke his silence on the matter for the first time since last weekend and said, “I could very clearly see the race manipulation and the race fixing that was going on.”

“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,” the #20 driver added, looking for ways to improve the sport and minimize outside chatter such as manufacturer intervention during races.

The commotion behind the JGR driver’s disappointment with Byron and the Hendrick Motorsports team comes after they benefitted from Ross Chastain and Austin Dillon both covering for Byron during the race by acting as a rolling roadblock behind the #24 Chevrolet driver.

This meant no other person on track could overtake them while the two drivers from the golden bowtie held position themselves, allowing Byron an advantage.  While Chastain and Dillon have been penalized in light of these events, Byron has not.

“I feel cheated”

Christopher Bell further elaborated on how race manipulation by the Chevrolet drivers meant added pressure on the #20 crew at JGR, including Bell himself. The Oklahoma native talked about how that played into his mind when he made his final lap move, which ultimately resulted in a penalty for himself.

“I feel cheated. I feel cheated out of a chance to compete for a championship. It all stems from what happened earlier – 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,” said Bell.

According to him, he would never have been in the situation he was ultimately in had the race seen fair action on the track.

Ultimately, the Martinsville saga is in the rearview for NASCAR and the drivers now, with this weekend’s race all set to crown the 2024 champion very soon.