Miami win moves Christopher Bell to No. 2 – NBC 6 South Florida
Christopher Bell didn’t miss his shot in Miami.
One week after a disappointing second-place finish in Las Vegas, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver was one spot better in South Beach. Bell, 28, clinched his second straight Championship 4 appearance after winning the 4EVER 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Bell joins Kyle Larson in the Championship 4, as both drivers can start looking ahead. The other six playoff drivers will face the pressure this weekend in the last race in the Round of 8, when four drivers will be eliminated and two will compete for a title alongside Bell and Larson.
Here’s our latest NASCAR power rankings heading into the penultimate race of the season at Martinsville Speedway (Sunday, Oct. 29, 2 p.m. ET, NBC, NBC.com):
1. Kyle Larson
Last week: 1
After clinching his spot in the Championship 4 at Las Vegas, Larson technically had nothing to race for at Homestead. But the No. 5 team brought another fast car to one of Larson’s best tracks. He led a race-high 96 laps and won Stage 1 before miscalculating his speed getting onto pit road and smashing into barriers to end his day. It was Larson’s eighth DNF of the season (second-most among all drivers), but at this point only the championship race matters.
2. Christopher Bell
Last week: 4
Bell is quickly developing a reputation as one of NASCAR’s most clutch drivers. He won two elimination races last season before falling short in the finale. Now, he’s headed back to the Championship 4 after an up-and-down race ended with a trip to victory lane. Bell was nearly lapped in Stage 2 because his car was so far off, but the driver and team responded when they absolutely had to.
3. William Byron
Last week: 2
Outside of Larson and Bell, Byron is in the best position. He is 30 points above the cut line entering Martinsville after his fourth-place finish on Sunday. That’s a healthy margin – as long as Byron avoids disaster, he’ll likely be racing for the title in Phoenix. The No. 24 team is clicking right now, posting six straight top-10s and 11 straight top-15s.
4. Denny Hamlin
Last week: 3
When Hamlin didn’t show race-winning speed at Las Vegas, I started to raise my eyebrow. Now, after wrecking out and finishing 30th at Homestead, alarms are going off. He’s 17 points below the cut line – needing either a win at Martinsville or others to have problems if he hopes to advance. It’s been an abrupt shift in a season that felt like it could’ve been Hamlin’s best chance to finally win his first title at age 42.
5. Ryan Blaney
Last week: 8
Things change quickly in NASCAR. A week ago, Blaney’s car was disqualified and he appeared to be out of the title hunt unless he won a race. But the penalty was later rescinded, and then Blaney had a near-perfect run at Homestead. He led 53 laps, earned 18 stage points and finished second to go from 17 points below the cut line to 10 above it. Blaney, with nine straight top-11 finishes at Martinsville, is in prime position to make his first Championship 4.
6. Tyler Reddick
Last week: 5
Third-place counts as a disappointment when you’re as good as Reddick is at Homestead. He didn’t quite have race-winning speed, and now Reddick is 10 points behind Blaney for the final Championship 4 spot. That isn’t a daunting number until you consider Reddick’s stats at Martinsville. He has one top-10 and a 20.1 average finish in seven career starts.
7. Chris Buescher
Last week: 6
While Buescher wasn’t the worst-finishing playoff driver, he had the most discouraging run. The No. 17 was outside the top-25 for most of the day before salvaging a 21st-place result. He’s 43 points below the cut line – likely an insurmountable deficit – so in order to advance Buescher has to win at Martinsville, where he has just one top-10 in 16 career starts.
8. Martin Truex Jr.
Last week: 9
Truex jumps one spot in the power rankings despite finishing 29th at Homestead. Before his engine expired in the closing laps, it was MTJ’s most encouraging run of the playoffs (pole, 10 laps led, 11 stage points). He’s tied with Hamlin at 17 points below the cut line, though, so it’ll take a monster performance at Martinsville against some stiff competition.
9. Brad Keselowski
Last week: 7
Before an untimely caution and wreck in the final stage, Keselowski had a car capable of winning at Homestead. He earned 15 stage points and led 16 laps but ultimately limped home 28th. Keselowski has two more chances to try and avoid a second straight winless season.
10. Bubba Wallace
Last week: first four out
Wallace keeps reeling off solid finishes, even after being eliminated from the playoffs a few weeks ago. He was sixth at Homestead after leading nine laps. It’s been a career season for the 23XI Racing driver, setting personal bests in laps led, average start, average finish and points standings.
First four out: Joey Logano, Kyle Busch, Ross Chastain, Chase Elliott
