Christopher Bell is a million dollars richer.
Bell, driver of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, bumped defending Cup Series champion Joey Logano out of the way with 10 laps to go to take the checkered flag in the NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway on Sunday (May 18).
Bell used the chrome horn to take the lead, but the No. 20 team and crew chief Adam Stevens utilized pit strategy to put Bell in a position to pounce during the closing laps.
Promoter’s Caution Shakes Up Strategy
For this year’s rendition of the All-Star Race, Cup Series officials introduced a new wrinkle: a possible promoter’s caution. The promoter’s caution could be thrown anytime between lap 100 to lap 220 of the 250-lap event, unless a natural caution came out after lap 200.
The promoter’s caution came out on lap 216, setting the stage for one last round of pit stops — and pit strategy. Five drivers opted to stay on the race track: Logano, Ryan Blaney, Ross Chastain, Carson Hocevar, and Harrison Burton. Among those who pitted, Bell won the race off pit road, despite contact with the No. 4 Ford of fan vote winner Noah Gragson.
At first, it looked as though staying out would be the right call as Logano and Chastain ran first and second off the restart. However, Bell also got a good enough launch on the final restart to make the most of his fresh right-side tires and give himself the chance to bump-and-run Logano.
“I wasn’t really sure,” Stevens said of the late pit call. “I really felt like tires would have an advantage, but I really felt like we’d restart a little bit closer to the front. When Joey jumped out there, I was pretty nervous to be honest, but Bell did such a good job making hay very early in that run, and I think that was the difference.”
Two Tires Better than Four in the Open
Not only did a two-tire stop win the million dollars, but it also gave a couple of teams the chance to race for that million.
Halfway through the 100-lap All-Star Open, a competition caution erased Shane van Gisbergen’s early lead. On the ensuing round of pit stops, several drivers took two tires while van Gisbergen got four. Hocevar and John Hunter Nemechek, both among the drivers who took right sides only at the halfway point, finished first and second respectively to earn their way into the main event.
Ultimately, neither Hocevar or Nemechek proved to be significant factor in their All-Star Race debuts. Hocevar finished 11th, while Nemechek settled for 19th.
Pit Crew of the Week: No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Does it make sense to give this honor to a pit crew that wasn’t even in the main event? Yes, because the No. 71 Spire crew stepped up to the plate to win Friday night’s (May 16) Pit Crew Challenge and the $100,000 cash prize that comes with it.
Driver Michael McDowell, front tire changer Max Marsh, rear tire changer Ty Boeck, tire carrier Luke Bussel, jackman Dax Hollifield III, and fueler Brandon Chapman teamed up for a winning pit stop time of 12.587 seconds. The stop time started at the timing line prior to the pit box and ended at the first timing line after the pit box.
The win is big not only for Spire Motorsports, but also for Hendrick Motorsports, which trains and provides the pit crews for Spire as part of the technical alliance between the two teams.
“Yeah man, this is awesome,” Hollifield said on the FOX Sports broadcast. “This is definitely beyond my wildest dreams. We’ve been working hard this year. We’re probably the youngest team on pit road, and it’s just hard work and determination. That’s what set us apart this year.”
While the No. 71 crew came into the weekend ranked 32nd among all Cup pit crews, McDowell made it clear that he was not surprised by the team’s victory.
“This wasn’t a huge shock to us,” McDowell told Frontstretch afterwards. “I know it probably was to some, but we knew that this was their night to let loose and show how fast they are, and they did. It was awesome, so proud of everybody.”
The No. 99 Trackhouse Racing crew came in second with a stop time of 12.600 seconds, followed by the No. 4 Front Row Motorsports team in 12.669 seconds.
Unfortunately for McDowell, the momentum from the Pit Crew Challenge win did not carry over to the Open as he wound up fifth, falling short of making the main event.
Look Ahead to Next Week
The Cup Series will stay in The Tar Heel State for the annual Memorial Day weekend tradition of the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway next Sunday, May 25. Coverage begins at 6 p.m. ET on Amazon Prime.
The key word of next week’s race will be endurance. How will the drivers fare over the 400-lap marathon? Will the pit crews be able to stay consistent and mistake-free throughout the night? Will crew chiefs be able to make adjustments to keep up with the changing race track from day to night? How will the equipment hold up?
The answers to these questions will unfold throughout NASCAR’s longest race of the season next Sunday.
Andrew Stoddard joined Frontstretch in May of 2022 as an iRacing contributor. He is a graduate of Hampden-Sydney College, the University of Richmond, and VCU. He works as an athletic communications specialist at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Va.