Sunday’s South Point Casino 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway turned into a dirt-like battle between Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell.
Two racers who cut their teeth on dirt tracks across the country found themselves pinned in a late-race duel as Bell closed the gap on Larson with the white flag waving.
While the No. 20 Toyota got close to Larson’s bumper during the final lap, he was unable to capitalize as Larson punched his ticket to the Championship 4.
With the sound of Larson’s celebratory burnout in the background, Bell felt he gave everything he had to secure a spot in the championship race at Phoenix Raceway.
“I mean, I don’t know what else I could have done, so I don’t know,” Bell said after the race. “I feel like that was my moment. That was my moment to make the Final Four. Didn’t quite capture it. I don’t know.”
The 28-year-old was a mere car length from advancing. Bell, who led the second-most laps with 61 after starting on pole, felt his chances were slim based on his exit to turn four.
“Coming to the checkered there, I knew that he was going to be blocking, so I’m like, I’m going to try to go high. He went high. I don’t even know if I had a run to get by him there coming to the line. Just wasn’t enough.”
Instead of leaving the 1.5-mile oval locked in, Bell finds himself two points behind teammate Denny Hamlin for the final spot in the Championship 4.
With two races left to determine the final three spots in the championship round, Bell remains poised as he looks ahead to Homestead-Miami Speedway and Virginia’s Martinsville Speedway.
“A great day, great day for sure to get the stage points, get a second-place finish out of it,” Bell said. “I think I saw we’re minus two, so we’re not out of it by any means. It would have been nice to lock it in.”