Trouble for NASCAR Cup Series Chase driver Christopher Bell came not while racing on the track at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday, but while entering pit road.
During a Lap 56 green-flag pit stop in the YellaWood 500, Bell, driver of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, lost control, making contact with the inside wall and suffering significant right-front damage.
MORE: Unofficial results | At-track photos: Talladega
Bell limped his No. 20 Toyota to pit road for service, and after initially re-entering the race, had to return to the pits after a tire went down, resulting in Bell going multiple laps behind the race leaders. A penalty for too many crew members over the wall immediately followed the tire stop.
A second right-front tire went down on Lap 67, forcing another pit-road visit for Bell.
The sequence of events brings major implications for The Chase presented by Mobil 1. Bell entered Talladega second in the championship table, just five markers behind Chase leader Kyle Larson after a 46-point gain over him at Phoenix Raceway the prior weekend. Bell finished Talladega in 35th, 12 laps down.
Just two Chase races remain following Talladega: Martinsville Speedway on Nov. 1 and Homestead-Miami Speedway on Nov. 8. With Larson’s Talladega victory, Bell unofficially sits third in The Chase standings, 74 points behind the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports driver and one point behind Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin.