Defending Homestead winner Christopher Bell looks to bounce back from disappointing Las Vegas race

HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- It didn't return agelong for Christopher Bell to move connected from what he called a disappointing title past Sunday.

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver lost to Joey Logano successful Las Vegas past play contempt dominating nan race. Bell led a race-high 156 laps but was beaten by Logano, who stretched his substance mileage to snatch nan triumph aft Bell had to pit for gas. The triumph for Logano made him nan first driver locked into nan winner-take-all title finale adjacent period successful Arizona.

“I’d person to opportunity (on) Monday night, I closed nan book and moved on,” Bell said. "There’s a batch worse positions to beryllium successful and you know, obviously, erstwhile that disappointment wore off, you recognize we’re moving really well, had a awesome time astatine Las Vegas and we’re trying to transportation nan momentum complete to Homestead.”

Bell earned his summons to nan finale astatine Homestead-Miami Speedway last year, and connected Sunday he will look to shingle disconnected nan sting of past play and do it again.

He's nan astir caller victor astatine 2 of nan adjacent 3 title tracks — successful Homestead successful 2023 and successful Phoenix backmost successful March — but he knows that's nary guarantee of success.

“You person a bully emotion you’re going to beryllium competitory because nan way hasn’t changed, nan cars haven’t changed, nan rules package hasn’t changed,” Bell said. "So, ‘you’ll beryllium successful nan hunt’ is simply a bully measurement to look astatine it. But nan results of nan erstwhile title don’t guarantee anything.”

This summer, Bell emerged arsenic a legitimate contender to triumph nan title aft he captured a triumph successful New Hampshire to triumph for nan 3rd clip for Joe Gibbs Racing. Bell has won aggregate races each of nan past 3 seasons and is simply a large logic why Gibbs has led 996 laps making love backmost to June 30 — 548 of them were led by nan 29-year-old.

Bell enters Sunday’s title supra nan cutline on pinch Kyle Larson and William Byron of Hendrick Motorsports.

Bell said nan strategy for nan adjacent 2 races earlier nan title will beryllium to attraction connected gaining maximum points. After Sunday successful Homestead, nan 3rd information goes to Martinsville Speedway successful Virginia earlier nan finale astatine Phoenix.

“You’re ne'er really safe,” Bell said. “The 3 of us, William, Kyle and myself person benignant of, nan measurement that nan cards fell, we’re benignant of fundamentally constituent racing each other. ... It’s going to beryllium a conflict each nan measurement until nan checkered emblem astatine Martinsville and, you know, everybody knows really important those wins are.”

Denny Hamlin admitted that his pit unit is “in a slump” aft a sloppy playoffs truthful far. Trouble connected pit roadworthy was to blasted for Hamlin's eighth-place decorativeness successful Las Vegas past weekend, putting him successful a reliable spot for nan remaining 2 races. Still, nan Gibbs driver is sticking pinch who he has.

“We've sewage to thrust it retired and (I) consciousness for illustration that's nan champion group that we tin put connected pit road,” Hamlin said Saturday. “And surely it's not owed to talent aliases thing for illustration that. They've sewage each nan keys that they request for that. They were nan champion pit unit for nan first 4th of this year, but surely it's been a batch of different issues connected pit road.”

Hamlin is beneath nan cutline and needs capable points aliases a triumph to make nan finale. He has 2 races to get location and said if he finds himself successful a must-win business successful Martinsville adjacent week, he tin get it done.

“It's very difficult to triumph these races," Hamlin said. “We've seen that. Certainly consciousness for illustration it's a title way if I had to (win), I'm surely capable. The ‘will,’ I don't know.”

The remaining drivers beneath nan cutline are regular-season champion Tyler Reddick of 23XI Racing, reigning Cup champion Ryan Blaney of Team Penske and Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports.

All 3 drivers are coming disconnected unspeakable races successful Las Vegas aft they were collected successful nan aforesaid clang early on. The clang was triggered erstwhile Reddick's Toyota made interaction pinch Elliott aft Reddick was trying to summation on-track position and misjudged really overmuch room he had.

The clang ended Reddick's race, while Blaney and Elliott were capable to proceed and decorativeness 32nd and 33rd, respectively.

Reddick won nan rod Saturday qualifying erstwhile he turned a 167.452 mph thigh to return nan apical starting spot Sunday.

“It was bully to beryllium capable to capitalize successful qualifying," Reddick said, "all things considered, really past week ended, man we're picking up correct wherever we near off, to beryllium honest.”

Larson will commencement second, pinch Bell and Hamlin next.

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