Christopher Bell pit crew member explains what went wrong with slow pit stop
Right after winning Stage 2, Christopher Bell found himself restarting the final stage P10 due to a slow stop on pit road. His rear tire changer explained what the issue was after NASCAR threw a caution flag early on in the final stage.
Michael Hicks was working hard to get Christopher Bell in and out of pit road. It was a very important stop. However, Hicks held up Bell and had him stay a couple of seconds longer just to make sure that the right rear wheel was on.
Those extra steps might have cost them track position, but with more than 100 laps to go in the race, Bell has time to move back up. Better to drop to P10 than lose a wheel on the track and go to the rear.
Just when you thought you knew what was going to happen in this race, everything changes. It wasn’t long after the Stage 2 break where all Hell broke loose on the track. Starting the final stage was a chore for these Cup Series drivers.
Caution flags flew out one after another. Kyle Busch spun on his own after getting loose. Then there was a wreck involving Joey Logano and Corey LaJoie. After that, Denny Hamlin spun out on the track from second place.
Christopher Bell wins Stage 2, fighting back in Stage 3
Despite winning that second stage and showing how great his car is in the long run, Christopher Bell had to reset things after that Hamlin caution. Teams pit to get fuel and make sure they could make the end of the race. Well, the ones that didn’t pit then had to pit in order to make it on fuel.
For drivers like Bell, Reddick, and more it was a tough break. They worked so hard all day to get the track position that they needed. Then, in the blink of an eye, everything changed.
Don’t worry too much, Bell and Reddick are moving up quickly just like they did before. Bell is especially flying through the field, barely starting in the top-20 and in a matter of a couple of dozen laps, made it to the top-10 again.
When you have the best car in the race, sometimes you just need time. Right now, Christopher Bell is putting his foot through the floor trying to drive his car back to the lead. It would be a tough loss with such a solid car today.