CONCORD, N.C. — For the second time in three years, the Coca-Cola 600 was halted before its full distance by rain.
Two years ago, Christopher Bell and the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing team were beneficiaries of the shortened crown-jewel event. Sunday evening, however, they fell one spot short as Daniel Suárez led at the time of caution on Lap 373 as the skies opened at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
The last 72 hours have been a time of shock and mourning for the racing community as legend and icon Kyle Busch tragically died Thursday after severe pneumonia progressed into sepsis.
One of the members of the NASCAR family feeling the weight of Busch’s passing the most is No. 20 crew chief Adam Stevens, who won 28 races and two Cup Series championships with “Rowdy” from 2015-2020.
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“It was especially hard on myself and a lot of people. Not something I’ve been through before,” Stevens said post-race. “Just the constant lot of emotions and just not knowing how to feel, you know, I am just heartbroken for his whole family. Somewhere, you’re grateful for the time you had with him, too. It’s really mixed emotions and it hasn’t been easy.”
Bell led 44 laps Sunday evening in a heated contest throughout the 600-mile marathon with the likes of his JGR teammates Denny Hamlin, Chase Briscoe and Ty Gibbs.
All four drivers for the organization Busch drove for for 15 years led over 10 laps in the race and occupied the top four spots in the final 200 laps.
Bell was within reach of a second Coke 600 victory, but couldn’t find the space to sneak by a fellow Kyle Busch Motorsports alum in Suárez.
“Daniel did a great job,” Bell said. “He did everything right to defend the position and win the race. I knew that it was going to come down to keeping him pinned on the restart, not letting him clear me for the lead, and he cleared me for the lead.”
The overall picture of the weekend at Charlotte was bigger than the results sheet, but there is a sting Stevens will leave with not taking the No. 20 to Victory Lane.
After winning the 2018 Coca-Cola 600 with Busch, Stevens said Sunday was another one he wished he could’ve accomplished.
“I wanted to win this race. This was Kyle’s favorite track,” Stevens said. “We’ve had a heartbreaker here and we’ve won one here, and Bell and I have already won one here. It’s a special place to win a race. This is a very special day, being Memorial Day with soldiers on the cars and meeting the families and then you put the KB layer on top of it. It was something that I deeply, deeply wanted to do.”