CONCORD, N.C. – A NASCAR Cup Series classic saw Christopher Bell finish just short of Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Chase Briscoe in a photo finish to end Sunday’s Bank of America 400 Chase race presented by Mobil 1 – a highly anticipated fall return to Charlotte Motor Speedway’s oval.
On Wednesday leading into Charlotte, Bell called his shot, saying, “If we can go out and win three of the next five, I think I’ll be the champion.”
However, the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing driver missed his target Sunday by a mere 0.029 seconds at the checkered flag of The Chase midpoint.
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“I think I’m just in shock right now,” Bell said. “I didn’t think it was going to end like that.
“I was just out there logging laps. I stayed with him pretty good, and then I had a couple moments where I slid really bad and let him get away.”
Briscoe and the No. 19 JGR Toyota held off Bell’s No. 20 machine in the waning laps, the Hoosier getting the better of the Oklahoman in the closest Cup Series finish so far in 2026 and the second-closest finish in Charlotte Cup history. The top mark came over two decades ago, when Jimmie Johnson beat Bobby Labonte on May 29, 2005, in the Coca-Cola 600.
Bell was more than two seconds behind Briscoe with under 10 laps to go.
Lapped traffic halted the No. 19’s progress, and Briscoe wasn’t going to take a risk on the longest green-flag run of the day. But parking the bus to Victory Lane nearly granted Bell one of the biggest steals in recent memory.
“I just didn’t expect to get there,” Bell said. “Whenever I got beside of him, I thought I stalled him, and then I kind of got out of shape. I guess I should have stayed into him a little bit harder and tried to nose him to the line.
Even with a long run to the finish, No. 20 crew chief Adam Stevens said there wasn’t even a mention of fuel saving until the final laps. He said the difference in what would’ve been a second win in The Chase happened during the final caution with 60 to go, when an 8.696-second pit stop for Briscoe put him out in front for the final restart.
“We just lost the lead on pit road, man,” Stevens told NASCAR.com. “We can’t lose the lead on pit road and have it go green the rest of the day.”
For fellow Chase driver Bell, the finish is the No. 20 pilot’s eighth runner-up result in 2026. Bell led 93 laps during Sunday’s effort, with that brisk speed garnering valuable stage points thanks to third- and first-place finishes in Stages 1 and 2, respectively.
Bell – who entered Sunday third in The Chase standings, 55 points behind leader Kyle Larson – shaved four points off his deficit, collecting 53 markers on the afternoon.
Despite cutting into Larson’s championship lead and keeping pace in the title hunt with four races to go, Bell leaves Charlotte frustrated after what could’ve been a rally that gave the No. 20 driver the most momentum heading west.
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“It doesn’t do any good in the grand scheme of things,” Bell said of his eighth runner-up result in 2026. “I came in negative-55 (to Larson), and I’m leaving negative-51. So that ain’t gonna do it.”
The Cup Series competes at Phoenix Raceway next Sunday (3 p.m. ET, USA Network, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Bell is a two-time winner at the Arizona track, with victories there in the spring of 2024 and 2025.