Christopher Bell Kicks Off NASCAR Chase With Statement Victory at Darlington

<figure><img alt="Aug 22, 2026; Loudon, New Hampshire, USA; Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell (20) walks to his car before practice at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. &#xa9; Eric Canha-Imagn Images" src="https://media.zenfs.com/en/college_football_network_979/7b89f34a73801d7ed75cb65dbfbc16be.jpg" data-uuid="8507e7f5-d0fc-359c-9df7-992892ca72e0"><figcaption>Aug 22, 2026; Loudon, New Hampshire, USA; Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell (20) walks to his car before practice at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. © Eric Canha-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Christopher Bell snapped his prolonged winless streak with a Chase triumph at Darlington Raceway. The result marks Bell’s 14th Cup Series win, coming after seven runner-up finishes this year.</p><p>Bell began Sunday’s Cook Out Southern 500 outside the top 10. The Toyota driver soon found himself among the top five in Stage 1, before winning Stage 2.</p><p>The No. 20 driver overtook Kyle Larson with 13 laps left and kept his nose clean until the checkered flag. Notably, Bell also nabbed the fastest lap of the race.</p><div class="nordot-embed-twitter"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://twitter.com/NASCAR/status/2096768796014879128"></a></blockquote></div><p>Bell’s season almost ended after a scary crash at Michigan, where he hit the outside wall and recorded the largest delta-v change in Next Gen history. Bell refused to talk to the media that day and was captured leaving the venue with a cast.</p><p>Fortunately for the 31-year-old, he was cleared to continue racing without surgery that would’ve sidelined him for weeks. He wore the cast and largely drove one-handed, which affected his restarts and road course races.</p><p>Bell then transitioned to a splint and became somewhat of a perennial runner-up candidate. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver kept coming up short and continued searching for a win, while his teammates crossed the stripe regularly.</p><h2>Christopher Bell shares emphatic message after Chase triumph</h2><figure><img alt="NASCAR Cup Series driver Christopher Bell (20) sits in his pit box Saturday, July 25, 2026, during qualifying for the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway." src="https://media.zenfs.com/en/college_football_network_979/28bfaa324c753d02bfe7a5d59557ba87.jpg" data-uuid="c66c7ab2-f700-383c-8303-076024c0dbf7"><figcaption>NASCAR Cup Series driver Christopher Bell (20) sits in his pit box Saturday, July 25, 2026, during qualifying for the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.</figcaption></figure><p>Christopher Bell had a lot to celebrate after Sunday’s win at the ‘Track Too Tough to Tame’. It was his second crown jewel win after 2024’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.</p><p>Speaking to reporters post-race, Bell said via <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/cup-drivers-said-southern-500-012917113.html">Yahoo Sports</a>,</p><div class="nordot-blockquote"><blockquote><p>“It’s been too d* long. Oh my gosh, man. I’m just so, so proud of all these guys. All this No. 20 car. All the mechanics. All the pit crew members. They deserve it more than anyone. This has been a long time coming. Darlington has been one that I’ve always wanted to win since I got into the sport. This is the ultimate driver’s track. I knew we’d be able to win it. We can win any week. It just hadn’t happened yet.”</p><p>“But yes, when I was sitting in the infield care center at Michigan, I thought my season was over. I thought I was going to be out a couple of weeks. I thought I wasn’t going to make the Chase. We’re still in it, baby,” he added.</p></blockquote></div><p>Christopher Bell entered the Chase outside the top-5, but is now second and 12 points behind season leader Denny Hamlin. The No. 11 driver had an unfortunate outing with a slow pit stop at the end of Stage 2, followed by contact with Michael McDowell that sent him into the outside wall.</p><p>Hamlin sustained a broken toe link and went behind the lead pack to make repairs. The 45-year-old ultimately finished 18th, but he placed third in both stages and earned 35 points, one point shy of runner-up driver Ty Gibbs.</p><p><strong>Read More:</strong></p><p><a href="https://collegefootballnetwork.com/nascar/christopher-bell-criticizes-new-daytona-package-after-disappointing-finish-arguably-it-was-worse/">Christopher Bell Criticizes New Daytona Package After Disappointing Finish: ‘Arguably, it was Worse’</a> C<em>ollege</em><em> Sports Network has you covered with the </em><em>latest news, analysis, insights, and trending stories in <a href="https://collegefootballnetwork.com/nascar/">NASCAR</a></em><em>, </em><em><a href="https://collegefootballnetwork.com/football/">college football</a></em><em>, </em><em><a href="https://collegefootballnetwork.com/mens-college-basketball/">men’s college basketball</a></em><em>, </em><em><a href="https://collegefootballnetwork.com/womens-college-basketball/">women’s college basketball</a></em><em>, and </em><em><a href="https://collegefootballnetwork.com/college-baseball/">college baseball!</a></em></p>