Bell passes five cars in final four laps to win at Bristol

Christopher Bell won from fifth place in the final four laps on Saturday at Bristol Motor Speedway to capture the Bass Pro Shops Night Race and become the third Joe Gibbs Racing driver to win during this playoff round. Bell held off a charge from Brad Keselowski on the final straightaway to secure his fourth victory of 2025.

Bell took the lead in the final four laps from the fifth position and withstood pressure from Brad Keselowski to win the race. JGR becomes the first team to win all three races in a playoff round since the current playoff format was implemented. The victory definitively eliminates four race winners from this season: Alex Bowman, Austin Dillon, Shane van Gisbergen, and Josh Berry.

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Bell takes the lead on lap 497 with new right-side tires

The decisive moment came on lap 491, when Bell made his final pit stop to put on new right-side tires. The strategy allowed him to advance from the fifth position to take the lead on lap 497 of 500, holding off Keselowski during the final laps.

"I was nervous with the two tires," Bell said. "I didn't know if I wanted to be on the bottom or the top, and when Brad chose the top lane it didn't give me an option. I had to choose the bottom. All night long, the old tires were really pushing a lot in the center of the corners, so I was hoping those guys with old tires would push up, and they did."

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Keselowski, who opted for four new tires on his final stop, regretted his lane choice on the final restart. "Just the story of our season, a 50/50 chance on the restart and I got the lane that couldn't get going," expressed Keselowski.

Berry retires due to fire, van Gisbergen suffers double spin

The race marked the end of the playoffs for Alex Bowman, Austin Dillon, Shane van Gisbergen, and Josh Berry, all race winners in 2025. Berry was the first to be eliminated after retiring on lap 75 due to a fire in his No. 21 Ford, marking his third consecutive last-place finish during the playoffs.

Bowman mounted the best response among the eliminated drivers, recovering from a spin on lap 100 to finish eighth. Despite winning eight points in the second stage, he failed to overcome the 35-point deficit he had coming into Bristol. "I think when we had any green-flag run our car was really good, it's just that the cycle was really bad for restarts," explained Bowman.

Austin Dillon faced problems early on with severe tire wear and a penalty for speeding on pit road. He finished in 28th position, missing the cut by 14 points. Van Gisbergen suffered multiple incidents including two spins that left him in 26th place, 16 points below the cutline.

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Gibbs loses positions by missing his pit on lap 491

Ty Gibbs dominated much of the race by leading 201 of the 500 laps, but a mistake on his final green-flag pit stop cost him dearly. By overshooting his pit box, he lost valuable positions and finished tenth. His teammate Briscoe also led 127 laps but fell to ninth place with a late stop for fresh tires.

The race featured 36 lead changes among 14 different drivers, reflecting the intense battle for positions. Tire wear was a determining factor throughout the night, especially with the softer right-side tires supplied by Goodyear for the event.

Cindric survives fire on lap 457 and maintains transfer position

Along with Bell, Ryan Blaney, William Byron, Kyle Larson, Bubba Wallace, Tyler Reddick, and Joey Logano advance to the next round on points. Chase Elliott overcame an accident on lap 311 due to contact with John Hunter Nemechek but maintained enough of a cushion to advance.

Austin Cindric had tense moments when his car began to generate flames on lap 457, losing five laps on pit road. The incident allowed Bowman to get within one point of the cutline, but Cindric managed to maintain his transfer position.

The next race will be on Sunday, September 21st at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, a track where Bell is the defending champion and one of his best opportunities to add points in the Round of 12.

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Results - Bass Pro Shops Night Race