Christopher Bell Becomes 14th Winner in 2022, wins at New Hampshire

After the checkered flag fell at New Hampshire, six races remain until the playoffs, and not only that, but we also now have 14 winners in the first 20 races of the season. Christopher Bell became that 14^th driver this past Sunday, earning his second career Cup Series win in 92 starts. Bell’s first career win came at the second race of the 2021 season at the Daytona Road Course. The 27-year-old was able to take the lead from Chase Elliott and lead for the final 42 laps to earn a playoff berth for this season.

“Man, that one was much-needed right there,” Bell said in his post-race interview. “I tell you what, that was a hell of a race from my viewpoint. It was so much fun racing with the 45 (Kurt Busch), the 22 (Logano), and the 9 (Elliott). We were all running different lines. That was a blast. Just so happy to be here at Joe Gibbs Racing and so good to get that 20 car back in Victory Lane.”

Chase Elliott finished second in the race, and it looked like for a while it could’ve been a day where he gets his fourth win of the season.

“I feel like just a poor run of execution on my end in the last run,’’ said Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. “It took me a while to get past Joey and the 45 and I had to run harder than I wanted to. Just make a couple mistakes and couldn’t get much breathing room.”

Bubba Wallace finished in third place, with a much-needed finish despite struggles with his pit crew throughout the season. It was a solid day for 23XI Racing as he and Kurt Busch both finished in the top ten.

“Just proud of the team, proud of myself, and proud of everybody at the shop,’’ Wallace said, adding, “It’s been hell for me the last month so good to come out with a top five. This sport humbles you so there are really no surprises. Have to keep the task at hand and be mindful of your surroundings and do your job.’’

Martin Truex Jr and Kevin Harvick both rounded out the top five, as both drivers are in dire need of a win. Truex now sits on the bubble of making the playoffs despite having a solid season, as Truex stated that he felt like they have to win a race now to secure a spot in the playoffs. The same can be said for Kevin Harvick, who sits 17^th in the standings and is in danger of missing the playoffs. Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, Ross Chastain, Daniel Suarez, and Kurt Busch finished in the top ten in that order.

Chase Elliott remains the points leader, in the hunt for the regular season championship and a 15-point bonus going into the playoffs. Ross Chastain moves to second in the standings with Ryan Blaney in third but is actually near the cutline of making or missing the playoffs now because he hasn’t won yet either. There is a good possibility that Blaney, Truex, and Kevin Harvick could all miss the playoffs if we get to 16 or more winners.

This shows that the NextGen car is living up to its expectations with wanting the car to create parity, leading to having 14 different winners in the first 20 races, which includes five first-time winners.

During the race, there was a moment of beef between Austin Dillon and Brad Keselowski. Contact was made between the two and at one point under caution, Dillon drove up to Keselowski and nudged him, letting him know how he felt about the encounter. Keselowski retaliated immediately with heavier contact. Both drivers spoke about it after the race.

“Hot in the cars, and we all let our tempers get the best of us,” Keselowski said after finishing seventh. “We had a decent day here and our No. 6 Kohler Generators Ford Mustang climbed really far in that last run. I think we went from somewhere in the late teens and 20s and drove up to seventh in that last run.”

Austin Dillon said he didn’t like the way that the 2012 Cup Series Champion raced him.

“I’ll talk to him privately, I don’t need to be a jerk over the media,” Brad responded to Austin’s comment.

On the other hand, Austin Dillon felt different compared to Keselowski’s comments.

“You guys saw it right?” Dillon said in post-race. “Just hard racing I guess, we’ve gone at it a couple times in the last two years. One time I hit really hard.”

“I just don’t like the way certain people race me, probably not the right way to do it under caution.”

When asked about whether he’ll have a conversation with Brad Keselowski, Dillon answered, “No, I don’t talk to him.”

The Cup Series heads next to its lone trip to Pocono Raceway for the M&M’s Fan Appreciation 400 on Sunday, July 24^th at 3 PM EST.