The Ending of Bristol Dirt Was Nearly a Case of Deja Vu

Christopher Bell wound up victorious in the third annual Food City Dirt Race, but the win was no easy task with Tyler Reddick right on his back bumper in the closing laps.

Until the final caution came out for a crash between Daniel Suarez, Ross Chastain and Josh Berry, the finish between Reddick and Bell was looking to be an exact repeat of last year’s battle for the win.

Everyone knows the story: Reddick held a lead over Chase Briscoe in the closing laps and was seeking his first NASCAR Cup Series win. Briscoe got close enough out of turn 2 on the final lap to send his car deep into turn 3, and the overly aggressive move ended with both drivers spinning out. Reddick kept going, but he was beaten to the finish line by Kyle Busch in what proved to be his final win with Joe Gibbs Racing.

The same story played out to the ending of 2023, except this time, Reddick was on offense with fresher tires in second place instead of trying to defend the lead. It’s a fact that was not lost on him after the race was over.

But that’s not where the similarities ended, as Reddick in 2022 and Bell in 2023 both took the lead for the first time after electing not to pit at the conclusion of the second stage. All that separated both drivers from victory was 100 laps of holding off the field with older tires.

Reddick nearly accomplished it last year. He finished the race with 99 laps led, all of which came in the final stage. The only lap of the final stage that he didn’t lead, however, was the last one.

Bell was able to seal the deal by wiring the final 100 laps. Bell had built up a gap on the final restart, but Reddick was beginning to close with every set of turns while Bell’s car struggled with handling as the laps wound down.

With Reddick right on the No. 20 car’s bumper on the final lap, Bell was saved by the bell (no pun intended) as a caution came out with only two turns to go.

If the race finished under green, would Reddick have gotten by? Would Bell be able to hold on? Would the two drivers spin out in an exact repeat of last year? We’ll never know, but until the final lap, the 2023 finish at the Bristol Motor Speedway dirt track was about to provide us with the same ending as 2022.

Bristol Dirt by the Numbers

1: The number of Cup races where Bell has led the most laps.

• As surprising as it sounds, there was not a single Cup race where Bell led the…