If you think rain was the only sabotage during the EchoPark Automotive NASCAR Cup Series race in Dover, think again. Christopher Bell was looking strong at the Monster Mile, running P1/P2 for the longest stretch. And then disaster struck as Bell made an inside move on teammate and race leader Denny Hamlin. What followed wasn’t exactly intentional, but it may feel that way to Rick Hendrick’s camp.
Bell appeared laser-focused, closing in on Hamlin like a heat-seeking missile. The track was slick from earlier drizzle that halted the race. And on the ensuing restart, boom. Bell spun, collecting one Hendrick Motorsports big gun and a Front Row Motorsports driver in the process.
How Christopher Bell’s ambition cost two drivers
Christopher Bell’s Sunday at Dover quickly went from contender to chaos. After already spinning once on lap 250, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver made a gamble to stay out on older tires after regaining track position and taking the lead again, and this gamble worked! Bell got his caution and was back contending for the race. However, on the restart following a rain delay, the race unraveled for the #20.
Christopher Bell battled Denny Hamlin hard for the lead with 8 laps to go, but a second spin on lap 393, just after the 56-minute rain delay brought the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 to a halt. The No. 20 Toyota snapped loose, and Bell spun across the front stretch. The earliest spin had caused minimal collateral damage, but this time, luck ran out.
Noah Gragson and points leader William Byron, both running in the top 10 and pushing hard late, had nowhere to go. Gragson slammed the inside wall, trying to avoid the spin, while Byron also got collected while swerving away from Bell. The incident knocked the Hendrick Motorsports car out of contention, a brutal blow in a race that had been shaping up as a strong day for the HMS camp. And to add insult to injury, Christopher Bell was slapped with a pit road speeding penalty during the caution pit cycle, further worrying his chances of a comeback. And has now found himself finishing the Monster Mile in 18th position.
From running consistently upfront to triggering a wreck that ended two playoff-caliber runs, Christopher’s latest race spin may go down as the turning point, not just for his day but for two other drivers who got swept up in the chaos. What’s ironic is that it seems as if the Joe Gibbs Racing driver manifested this. Before spinning out, Bell had commented on his radio on the JGR front row restart with two HMS drivers (Chase Elliott and Byron) right behind them, sarcastically adding, “This is going to be fun.” Well, it certainly wasn’t fun for three drivers, including Bell.
BELL SPINS GOING FOR THE LEAD pic.twitter.com/lPtXpqOHsF
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) July 20, 2025
Noah Gragson started 36th out of 37 after qualifying was washed out, forcing him to the back of the field. Through the opening stage, he methodically climbed up the leaderboard, as he made his way to 27th place by Stage 1 and was running 21st by Stage 2. And by lap 330, Noah Gragson took the lead of the race from Bubba Wallace, who pitted from the front position. And in the next three laps, Gragson handed the lead to Christopher Bell as he made his way into the pits. Gragson put himself in a great position, restarting 8th with 8 laps to go, but finished 32nd as a result of this clash. What looked like a strong top ten came shattering down.
On the other hand, William Byron, who started fifth based on the rain metric system, held a strong position throughout much of the race. He was consistently running in the top five. By stage one, he had nabbed fourth place, and by stage two, he dropped slightly to sixth place. Byron had a pretty clean race throughout, but the late-race nudge from Bell definitely cost him a spot in the top five, as he finished just one position above Front Row Motorsports’ Noah Gragson. Indeed, a very disappointing day for the Hendrick Motorsports driver.
William Byron and Christopher Bell have frequently shown flashes of brilliance in the NASCAR Cup Series, often emerging as early-season favorites. Their talent is unquestionable, with both drivers frequently starting strong, as seen recently at Sonoma, where Bell finished fifth and Byron took eighth. Yet, despite solid point hauls, neither was seriously in contention for the win. This pattern reflects a recurring concern. Their inability to carry early momentum to the long grind of the full NASCAR season.
Kevin Harvick reveals the reason for Bell and Byron’s downfall
Past seasons underscore this trend. Byron’s six-win campaign in 2023 suggested a breakthrough, but his performance tailed off dramatically during the summer stretch. Christopher Bell, too, opened the current season with three consecutive victories at Atlanta, COTA, and Phoenix, only to lose ground as the races wore on. This example suggests not just an occasional dip but a consistent issue with sustaining performance and the demands of a title chase.
Kevin Harvick, one of NASCAR’s most respected voices and the 2014 Cup Series Champion, has called attention to this very problem. He argues that success in the Cup Series isn’t solely about speed or talent; it is also about surviving the weeks when everything doesn’t go to plan. Backing up both the drivers, Harvick says, “I believe that Christopher Bell and William Byron, they go through this same streak every year of starting off strong, off in the middle, and then you never know what’s going to show up at the end of the year. If you’re gonna win these championships, you’ve got to be able to find that consistency of when you have an off day, not be a catastrophe.”
Harvick believes that true championship contenders know how to manage damage on bad weekends rather than falling out of contention with one poor run; they minimize the impact and keep their campaign alive. For Byron and Bell, failing to stabilize their form is no longer a surprise; it is becoming a defining obstacle in their pursuit of the Cup. However, with both drivers putting in strong drives marred by unfortunate incidents today, it shows that while the finishes might be lacking, the speed is evident, and when they get it right, they are going to be incredibly tough to beat.
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