Bell gives Logano a taste of his own medicine to bring home the big check.
When NASCAR ran its last points-paying Cup Series race at North Wilkesboro, Christopher Bell was just three months shy of his second birthday. After last weekend’s All-Star performance, though, it’s clear that he would have fit right in the with rough-and-tumble crowd of NASCAR’s 1990s glory days. Once a babyfaced, soft-spoken competitor, he’s shown over the past few seasons that he has the grit, the personality, and the driving ability to become a NASCAR champion someday.
How do you demonstrate those qualities on a national stage? Simple – by going toe-to-toe with the last generation’s whizzkid, a driver known for his unapologetic aggression on-track and cocky soundbites off-track. We’re talking, of course, about defending series champion Joey Logano. Bell snatched the million dollar check out of Logano’s hands with a combination of strategy, confidence, skill, and good old-fashioned rubbin’. Just the way a younger Logano would have done it.
Of course, while Bell was celebrating on the front stretch, asking fans if they wanted a points race here (the answer was a resounding “yes,” from what I could hear on my television), Logano was stewing on pit road. To some degree, I can understand why. At these short track races, it’s not enough to have the best car. The newish, but comfortably worn-in surface of North Wilkesboro has turned the race into one big tire strategy chess match.
When Michael Waltrip threw (literally) the yellow flag on lap 216 for the All-Star exlusive “Promoter’s Caution,” most of the field opted to head to pit road for fresh rubber. Dominant Logano, and his Penske teammate Ryan Blaney, performed a dramatic fake-out on the rest of the field before staying out on old tires. The gamble didn’t pay off, however, as the aforementioned surface and progressive banking unique to North Wilkesboro resulted in excellent multi-lane racing when the green flag fell for the last time.
Once Bell got to Logano, he raced him respectfully, looking for an opportunity. However, after one block too many, the gloves were off. Bell made it to Logano’s inside, pushing him up the track with the slightest bit of contact, taking the lead once and for all. At the end of the day, Logano can’t be too mad about it – like the message of the classic anti-drug PSA, Bell probably learned it from watching him.
Photo: Scott Kinser/The Associated Press
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