Bell, who developed to the Championship 4 final season with a possibility to accumulate the sequence title at Phoenix, blew a brake rotor early in the lag and by no manner used to be in the fight.
Sunday, Bell rallied to accumulate Stage 2, then drove from 20th to first after the final pit cease and simply held off Chris Buescher by 5.465 seconds to obtain his first accumulate of the 2024 season.
The accumulate snaps Chevrolet’s three-lag profitable bound to open the season and offers Toyota a accumulate at a track where it had led a total of 15 laps in the earlier four races. Bell led twice Sunday for 50 laps.
Bell used to be among a community of vehicles that elected to pit on lap 218 of 312 all the way in which via what grew to develop into out to be the final warning of the lag.
The tip 9 stayed out. Bell, on four new tires and with tons of fuel, reclaimed the lead when Martin Truex Jr. used to be forced to pit for fuel and led the final 41 laps.
Bell’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Ty Gibbs, ended up third, Brad Keselowski fourth and Ryan Blaney used to be fifth.
Completing the highest 10 had been Ross Chastain, Truex, Michael McDowell, Scuttle Briscoe and Tyler Reddick.
“Man, this one feels good. Valid a credit rating to Adam (Stevens, crew chief), my engineers, the total mechanics on this recount,” Bell said. “You device now not assemble vehicles be pleased that reasonably in most cases. Valid natty, natty proud. Proud to be on this No. 20 automobile.
“This automobile used to be unbelievable this day. I feel be pleased we now obtain the means of working races be pleased this a lot. Confidently, this is the well-known of many this 300 and sixty five days.”
Stage 1
Reddick passed Gibbs with three of 60 final final and held on to say the Stage 1 accumulate by 0.565 seconds. Denny Hamlin used to be third, Erik Jones fourth and Scuttle Elloitt carried out the highest 10.
Derek Kraus spun spherical on the exit of Turn 2 six laps into the lag in an incident that additionally collected Austin Dillon and Austin Cindric. Cindric’s lag came to an early stay.
Stage 2
Bell ran down Reddick and passed him with four of 125 laps final and claimed the Stage 2 accumulate, his first stage victory of the 2024 season. Hamlin ended up third, William Byron used to be fourth and Truex rounded out the highest 5.
Stage 3
Following the ruin between Phases 2 and 3, the total lead lap vehicles elected to pit with Hamlin first off pit aspect street.
Each and every Bell and Kyle Larson had gradual stops and lined up 10th and 18th respectively on the restart. Hamlin led Reddick and Byron on the restart with 118 laps final in the lag.
Valid after Reddick passed Hamlin for the lead on lap 203, Joey Logano got grew to develop into by John Hunter Nemechek coming into Turn 1, which precipitated a 5-automobile accident that again placed the lag below warning.
A handful of vehicles pit however Reddick remained on the track and in the lead on the restart with 100 laps to head.
Two laps after the restart, Hamlin got free on the inner racing for the lead with Reddick off Turn 2 and spun spherical to carry out the sixth warning of the lag.
Loads of drivers pit below the warning, in conjunction with Reddick, however Truex remained on the track and led the manner when the lag went motivate to green with 92 laps final.
With 60 laps to head, Truex maintained a sizeable advantage out front however Gibbs – who pit below the earlier warning for two new tires – had moved to second after restarting in 10th.
9 laps later, Bell, who stopped for four new tires on his earlier cease, got spherical Gibbs to desire the runner-up space.
Truex used to be forced to pit for fuel with 40 laps to head, which handed the lag lead over Bell, who had ample fuel to accomplish it to total of the lag.
Buescher moved into second, extra than six seconds leisurely Bell, with 10 laps final.
