Christopher Bell shares stunned reaction to controversial NASCAR ruling at Martinsville

Christopher Bell will not be one of the four competing in the NASCAR Cup Series Championship as NASCAR disqualified him for his final lap move at Martinsville. After the race, Bell shared his stunned reaction to the decision.

“I don’t know what to say,” Bell said. “I understand that the rule was made to prevent people from riding the wall, but my move was completely different than what Ross [Chastain’s] was. I got loose getting into the corner and slid right into the fence. I don’t know what else to say.”

Bell didn’t win the Martinsville race but needed a strong finish to get the final spot in the Championship 4. It appeared Bell rode the wall to gain an advantage, similar to what Chastain did to get to the championship race in 2022. Ryan Blaney won the Martinsville race and he will join Joey Logano, Tyler Reddick and William Byron to determine the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Champion at Phoenix next week.

Looking back at Christopher Bell’s 2024 season

Bell is disappointed with the ruling, but it was a very strong season for the 29-year-old. During the regular season, Bell won three races including the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte. And heading into the Martinsville race, Bell finished in the top 10 in the last six races.

Before the Round of the 8 of the playoffs began, Bell expressed his confidence in winning one of the three races. “So, I feel like we’re capable of scoring points at all of them which is super important,” Bell explained on NASCAR Inside the Playoffs last month. “But honestly, I’ve won at Homestead and I’ve won at Martinsville but those are two of the race tracks that I’d say are less [likely to win] than Vegas. You know, Vegas, I haven’t won it yet but I feel like that’s one of our best tracks and definitely a place where we’re capable of competing for the win and I think that first Vegas win is right around the corner.”