Bell falls short to Gibbs at Iowa, settles for seventh runner-up finish

Christopher Bell fell short in an attempt to unseat Ty Gibbs for the win in Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway, settling for a runner-up finish after leading 108 laps. Bell finished second for the seventh time this season, which ties Harry Gant (1981) for the most in series history before earning a victory. It's the fourth time in the last five races he's earned second-best. RELATED: Unofficial results | At-track photos: Iowa The Norman, Oklahoma, native won Stage 2 of the Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol, pacing the field for much of the final stage. In the midst of a long run, Bell surrendered the top spot at Lap 291 for his final service of the afternoon, and Gibbs peeled off directly behind him. Bell and crew chief Adam Stevens chose to take four tires while Gibbs and crew chief Tyler Allen for right sides only. That allowed Gibbs to cycle to the lead with 2o laps to go once leader Ross Chastain made his final stop of the race. Gibbs successfully navigated lapped traffic over the final stint. Bell closed onto his rear bumper several times, but ultimately, Gibbs used Brad Keselowski as a pick on the final two laps to cling onto his second career Cup win. Despite another gutwrenching defeat for Bell, he surged four spots in the standings to sixth with three regular-season races remaining. After an issue for Tyler Reddick at Lap 4, Gibbs launched to second in points heading to Richmond on Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET, USA Network, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). This story will be updated.