Bell, who inherited the lead by staying out between Stages 2 and 3, led the final 100 laps but had to ward off repeated challenges, with the last coming from Tyler Reddick in the final five laps.
Reddick, who won Stage 2, had pit for new tires during the break and put them to good use and put himself in position to challenge for the win down the stretch.
With Reddick closing in for a final attempt at a pass on the last of 250 laps, Bell’s win was secured when NASCAR was forced to display the caution – the 14th of the race – for the stopped car of Ross Chastain in Turn 4.
The win is the first this season for Bell, who won three times last season and advanced to the Championship 4 for the first time in his career. Bell, 28, has five top-five finishes in the first eight races of the 2023 season.
“Man, let me tell you, these are some of the longest laps of my entire life. This place is so much fun, whether it is dirt or concrete,” Bell said. “Whenever the cushion got up there on the top (lane), it was very tough because you couldn’t drive it super hard otherwise you’d get sucked in.
“If you got your right-front into it, you’d push a little bit. If you got your right-rear into it, you’d slide. It was a lot of fun.”
Several times in the last 25 laps, Bell looked like he may slam the wall in Turns 3 and 4, which he called “the scary corner.”
“If you got into it too far, you lost all your momentum. (Turns) 1 and 2, I think I kept hitting the wall a couple times. Seems like there was a little bit more moisture up there, it would hold me better.
“I am like, ‘Okay, I can really attack (Turns) 1 and .’ But three and four I had to be careful.”
Austin Dillon ended up third, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. fourth and Chase Briscoe rounded out the top-five.
Completing the top-10 were Justin Haley, Martin Truex Jr., Todd Gilliland, Kevin Harvick and Ty Gibbs.
Stage 3
Following the break between Stages 2 and 3, most of the lead-lap cars elected to hit pit road but Bell was among eight that remained on the track and inherited the lead.
On the restart on Lap 151, Bell was followed by Aric Almirola, William Byron, Michael McDowell and Denny Hamlin. Reddick, the first off pit road during the controlled stops, lined up 12th.
Kyle Larson, who did not change tires during the break, spun off Turn 4 on Lap 156, which brought out the 10th caution of the race. The race returned to green on Lap 162.
On Lap 175, Ryan Preece and…
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