Christopher Bell came to Martinsville Speedway on Sunday (Oct. 30) in what was essentially a must-win situation, three races after pulling off a clutch victory at the Charlotte ROVAL to lock himself into the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs’ Round of 8.
He did it again.
Bell dominated late and rebounded from split strategy in the waning laps to retake the lead, going unchallenged the final few laps and taking his third victory of 2022.
Behind him, already locked-in Joey Logano and Chase Elliott had relatively calm races, but it was at the cutoff line that the drama unfolded: Denny Hamlin and Ross Chastain remained single-digit points away from each other in the late stages, and just when things seemed decided Chastain pulled off a vide0-game move to somehow, some way secure a spot in the Championship 4. The No. 1 wall-rode his way through the final turns at full speed, passing five drivers (including Hamlin) to advance on points.
Hamlin, William Byron, Ryan Blaney and Chase Briscoe were eliminated from the postseason. Logano, Bell, Elliott and Chastain advanced to compete for a title next week at Phoenix Raceway.
Polesitter Kyle Larson faced brief contention from Hendrick Motorsports teammate Elliott early on, but maintained his spot out front despite subsequent interference from traffic. The No. 5 was forced at times to pressure lapped cars with slight bumps, as position was at a premium and passing minimal in the opening stage. Leaders encountered the lapped traffic early on, the back of the field coming into play around lap 25.
Playoff drivers swapped spots early as well, including Briscoe and Blaney — Blaney moved into third after starting fourth, but Briscoe retook the position after a while. That battle aside, the top 10 positions saw little to no changes through a large part of the first stage, while further back Kyle Busch fell outside the top 20 after starting 18th. Fellow Halloween-livery driver Kevin Harvick maintained a spot within the top 10.
Elliott eventually passed Larson as they waded through lapped traffic, the first green-flag pass for the lead not during pit stops in either Martinsville race this year. Bell climbed through the field early, making his way into the top 10 in a must-win situation, while fellow contender Blaney wrestled with a hard-to-drive machine and fell back.
Spring winner Byron struggled, going a lap down in each of the two stages. Hamlin, just five points below the cutline, passed Elliott with nearly…
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