From that wild pit-stop move in Las Vegas where he rolled out with a loose wheel, stopped in the pits, and sparked a NASCAR rule change to talks of an “unprecedented” racing experience in Mexico, Christopher Bell has been on fire. Arguably, continuing his three-race win streak would have been better for fans. Bell has kept fans on the edge of their seats! Even Chase Briscoe, his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, couldn’t stop raving about Bell’s smarts, calling that Vegas pit strategy “innovative” But this Sunday all that shine dulled fast.
Christopher Bell’s Miami trip was a total letdown. He rolled into Homestead second in the standings, but when things unfolded, you could feel the weight of it all watching Christopher Bell climb out of that No. 20 Toyota.
Speaking about his failure at the track, Bell wasn’t being kind to himself.
Speaking about it after the race, he said, “Yeah, it was just miserable. I made a mistake, spun out, and damaged the car. And that was it, so… miserable day, and yeah, on to the next one.” Starting off in 16th place, Bell had a decent pace on his car. However, he was far from Blaney and Larson’s battle upfront, staying under the radar for the majority of Stage 1, until lap 71. Coming out of Turn 4, Bell ran a little too close to the wall.
His car spun out of control as his car was dragged alongside the pit road. The force of the spin was so much that it actually shredded his tires, putting him on an unnecessary pitstop and subsequently tumbling down the order. Eventually, it meant a measly 29th-place finish for the #20 Toyota at the Straight Talk Wireless 400.
#NASCAR … Christopher Bell on his day at Homestead pic.twitter.com/frxkul5ZV8
— Dustin Long (@dustinlong) March 23, 2025
Trying to bounce back from a 12th-place finish at Las Vegas, Christopher Bell did look like a contender initially, but his momentum faded soon after. Compared to his teammate Denny Hamlin, Bell looked almost bland. Hamlin, who started 23rd, quickly began dismantling his opponents and weaving through the traffic. It meant the #11 car would eventually finish in 5th place behind Chase Briscoe.
But that’s not all Bell has accomplished this weekend. As some fans may remember, last weekend, at Las Vegas, Bell and his team came up with the tactic of pitting in Briscoe’s pit box to correct an error. He even got praise from Kevin Harvick for it. “I’ve never had this conversation in my life to stop in somebody else’s pit. I thought we did a pretty good job dotting the I’s and crossing T’s. But this is pretty heads-up. When you see the fact that the crew chief was able to tell him in the amount of time that he needed to be able to… And Christopher able to compute what he was saying in his head to get out of line, it was pretty chaotic to get himself in position and find a teammate’s pit stall.”
However, it was only time before NASCAR would come sniffing for a rule change, and now they have. According to NASCAR’s Christopher Bell rule change, if a driver pits in a teammate’s pit box for a safety issue, then that vehicle would start at the end of the longest line or receive a pass-through penalty.
So much for Bell’s creative solution, right?
AJ Allmendinger opens up on leveling the playing field with Christopher Bell at Homestead
AJ Allmendinger’s been a quiet force at that track, and his latest take has us nodding along. He’s tied with Christopher Bell yeah, the Joe Gibbs Racing star for the best average finish there since the Next Gen car hit the scene in 2022. Both sit at an unreal 5.3. While most people have been criticizing this wreck fest of a car, Allmendinger has a different outlook when he is behind the wheel in it.
“I’ve always had a good feel for Homestead,” he told NASCAR’s Dustin Long before Sunday’s race. “But the Next Gen car? It’s unlocked something. It’s not as twitchy as the old cars—let me push it how I want.” For a road-course ace like AJ, nailing a 1.5-mile oval was something special. He’s finished top ten in all three Next Gen races there—third, fifth, eighth. That’s your proof right there.
Bell’s been the benchmark, no doubt. But AJ’s right there, matching him step for step at Homestead. “It’s not just me,” he said. “The car fits the track’s flow—less handling drama, more control.” It’s like the Next Gen handed him a lifeline to hang with the big dogs. AJ started 10th, Bell spun out early, and the No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevy fought hard.
He didn’t win—Kyle Larson stole that—but you could feel AJ’s confidence. This isn’t just about stats; it’s about a guy proving he belongs. The Next Gen’s his equalizer, and he’s not backing down. Bell might be the star, but AJ’s making it a fight. What a story!
The post Christopher Bell’s Luck Seems to Have Run Out as He Looks Back at His “Miserable” Run at Miami appeared first on EssentiallySports.