Bell Raises the Sword at Bristol, Clinches Round One Sweep for Joe Gibbs Racing

KELSEY CHRISTMAN - STAFF WRITER

Christopher Bell celebrates his first win since March after fending off Brad Keselowski on the final lap at Bristol Motor Speedway. PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images, September 13th, 2025

Bristol Motor Speedway on a fall night is always notorious for wild racing. Saturday night was no outlier. In the Bass Pro Shops Night Race, 137 of the 500 laps were slowed because of a whopping 14 cautions. The first yellow flag flew on lap 76 and the final on lap 488. Even with the amount of cautions, only 6 cars did not finish the race.

Teams asked for tire falloff, and it was certainly received. The issues first arose on lap 26, when pole sitter A.J. Allmendinger reported handling issues from the lead and came to pit for right side tires. Pit cycles stayed relatively consistent between 40-65 laps throughout the night due to the excessive tire wear, with some drivers able to push it longer than others. Due to this unexpectedly short lifespan of the softer tire, NASCAR approved each team an additional set of ‘Goodyears’ to aid in strategy and managing the tire wear.

Playoff hopes ended early for Josh Berry and the 21 team from Wood Brothers Racing as his car caught fire behind the right front after coming in for fresh tires late in stage one. The team suspects that the rubber buildup from tire wear caused a mechanical malfunction, resulting in the flames. Prior to the fire being put out, smoke filled the cockpit, complicating the conditions for Berry, making it nearly impossible for him to even find his pit stall. His team acted fast in pulling him from the car as he approached his box.

Berry wasn’t the only playoff driver to encounter issues. Shane van Gisbergen spun twice, while Chase Elliott suffered just his second DNF of the season after nailing the outside wall following a stackup with Austin Cindric, Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin, and a hard-charging John Hunter Nemechek. The difference in speed because of tire wear between Elliott and Nemechek contributed to the wreck.

A Cole Custer spin set up a four lap shootout on the final restart, with Christopher Bell taking the lead as Zane Smith slid up the track on worn tires, making contact with Carson Hocevar. Bell held off a hard-charging Brad Keselowski, despite his best attempt at a classic Bristol ‘bump and run’ on the final lap to cross the line first and head to victory lane for the fourth time this season.

With Bell’s victory, Joe Gibbs Racing officially swept the first round of the playoffs. Each of the JGR playoff drivers won their way into Round of 12, while 23XI Racing teammates Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace also advanced with ease, ensuring all five Toyota drivers are still alive for a championship heading into this weekend’s race at New Hampshire.

With the conclusion of this race, Berry, van Gisbergen, Alex Bowman and Austin Dillon exited the playoff contention, with Bowman falling just short of Austin Cindric in the standings. Does SVG’s early exit exemplify the necessity of consistency throughout the season to crown a champion, and that points still outweigh wins?