Flat Tire Leads to 14th Place at Darlington

RACE: Goodyear 400
TRACK: Darlington Raceway
START: 22nd
FINISH: 15th
LAPS: 293 laps

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-90)

• Sunday’s throwback race at Darlington was run on Mother’s Day with Christopher Bell rolling off 22nd.
• A tight race car to begin with turned into a loose one as laps ticked off. 
• A competition caution allowed the 20 team to make adjustments when Bell came in to pit for four tires and fuel with the #20 Rheem Toyota Camry restarting 15th. 
• Bell raced his way to finishing 11th at the end of Stage 1.
• At the stage break, the 20 crew flexed their muscles and gained 3 positions on pit road.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 98-185)

• Bell started 7th for Stage 2.
• The balance had come around and was not as tight as Stage 1. 
• A caution at lap 112 allowed Bell to come down pit road for four tires and fuel but a speeding penalty resulted in the 20 car restarting at the tail end of the longest line.
• Bell started to show speed and even lead a lap before coming down pit road for a scheduled green flag pit stop. 
• At the end of Stage 2, Bell got a “Darlington Stripe” or brushed the wall. The team reported there was no tire smoke and Bell was able to stay on the track.
• Bell finished the stage 6th.

Stage 3 Recap (Laps 193-293)

• Bell started 7th for the final stage. 
• The 20 car needed more overall grip towards the midway point of Stage 3.
• After the final pit stop of the day, Bell was racing his way into 5th.
• With 5 laps to go, Bell reported a flat tire to the team and made his way to pit road. 
• Despite the unscheduled stop, Bell was able to bring the #20 Rheem Toyota Camry across the start/finish line 14th. 

Other Joe Gibbs Racing News

• Christopher Bell’s JGR teammate, Martin Truex Jr., swept Darlington by winning each stage and the race.

Up Next: The NASCAR Cup Series heads to the Monster Mile for the Drydene 400. The race from Dover International Speedway will be on FS1 at 2:00 p.m. ET on May 16.