Christopher Bell fails inspection at Atlanta after NASCAR notices crew member near car under impound

Things aren’t going well for Christopher Bell ahead of the Quaker State 400. His team just failed inspection after NASCAR got suspicious. A crew member was a little too close to the No. 20 while the car was under impound. After inspecting the vehicle one more time, an issue was found with the splitter.

I don’t want to say this is a clear case, but it does seem like the No. 20 JGR team pushed their luck here. NASCAR has its eyes out for any weird activity. This includes crew members standing near impounded cars. That’s an inspection waiting to happen every time.

Bell is likely to lose his car chief and his pit tall selection as well as starting in the rear of the Quaker State 400. Bob Pockrass of Fox Sports tweeted out the news.

Bell car issue: Adam Stevens said NASCAR had issue w/how close a crewman was to car under impound so had to go thru tech. Failed a splitter measurement & had to get it back to prerace specifications & passed. NASCAR hasn’t confirmed but expect to lose car chief & drop to rear.

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) July 9, 2023

Adam Stevens and his team will have to get back to focusing on the race at hand. It is always a bummer to lose your spot on the track. However, in this case, Bell was set to start P34 anyway, so why not take a risk?

Bell will join Kyle Busch, Justin Haley, and Bubba Wallace as teams that failed inspection multiple times. They will all have a tough evening as they try to move up through the field. Superspeedway racing lets drivers move up more than other races, so they will have a chance to improve their place.

Christopher Bell has been quiet since win

Ever since taking the checkered flag at Bristol Dirt, Christopher Bell has been quiet. He was one of the most consistent drivers of the year. The good news is that he has a win and he’s comfortably in the playoffs. There is even better news for him in the postseason.

Let’s remember that Bell pulled off not one, but two wins in the playoffs. When it mattered most, back against the wall, elimination on the horizon, Bell won. At the Roval and at Martinsville, it was C. Bell taking the win. He just has to get to the playoffs and right now he’s made it.

Christopher Bell is a great racer. He has the makings of a future champion. However, he needs to get it going sooner rather than later. He was in the Championship 4 a year ago. A win at Atlanta or even a big performance, could put the rest of NASCAR on notice.

For now, Bell needs to be focused on making his way back up through the field. It will be a long night for the No. 20 Toyota Camry.