Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Christopher Bell takes jab at Chevrolet day after controversial Martinsville finish

Originally posted on 5 GOATs | By Jonathan Howard | Last updated Nov 4, 2024 3:28 PM ET

A little bit of sour grapes or a justified jab? Christopher Bell took a swipe at Chevrolet today, a day after missing out on the Championship 4. The end of the Martinsville race was full of drama and Bell ended up with the short end of stick.

Christopher Bell was deemed by NASCAR to have done a wall ride. He blew through Turn 3, washed up the track into the wall in Turn 4, and drove almost all the way to the line on the wall.

NASCAR did not look at any accusation of race manipulation. Instead, for 27 minutes, officials looked at Bell’s final lap. They decided he was riding the wall, so he was sent to the rear of the cars one lap down, P22.

That decision moved Byron into the Championship 4 and Bell out. Today, Bell had one more thing to say about it.

“Just a couple of guys missing a bow tie,” Bell wrote on X/Twitter. He attached a picture of himself and Joe Gibbs speaking after the race to the post.

Just a couple guys missing a bow tie pic.twitter.com/KT44SK4NOO
— Christopher Bell (@CBellRacing) November 4, 2024

Of course, a bow tie is a longtime nickname for a Chevy vehicle or racecar. You know, because the Chevy logo looks like a bowtie, albeit a rectangular one.

It is clear that Christopher Bell believes he was wronged. The driver sent it deep into Turn 3, got loose, and washed up. But he also accelerated while on the wall before getting off of it. At the least, you can say he gave NASCAR the opportunity to penalize him.

Christopher Bell calls out Chevy drivers for manipulation

The argument that Christopher Bell had against William Byron was related to race manipulation. Austin Dillon and Ross Chastain appeared to form a two-wide wall behind Byron for about the last 10-15 laps.

There was really no attempt to pass. Brad Keselowski, a Ford driver, was boxed in by a third Chevy driver on the bottom of the track, Carson Hocevar. So, is that manipulation? Bell believes so. There was also talk about a “deal” on the No. 3 car’s radio.

“I mean that was disappointing,” Christopher Bell told NBC Sports’ Dustin Long. “That was disappointing to see them blocking like that and manipulating the race. I don’t know.”

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver is out of the playoffs. It is the first time since the Next Gen car debuted that Bell has missed the playoffs. Coach Gibbs was told after the race that the penalty could not be appealed.

This article first appeared on 5 GOATs and was syndicated with permission.

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