Christopher Bell falls just short of Chicagoland win: 'Just a second-place driver'

For the fourth time this season in NASCAR Cup Series competition, Christopher Bell came up one spot shy of victory. 

On a day where Bell had contact on pit road and fell out of the top 20, that could be seen as a win. But for a driver in fast cars each week, it seemed more like a disappointment. 

Bell ran down winner Chase Briscoe in the closing laps but couldn't get close enough to make a move after falling back with two laps remaining.

Christopher Bell disappointed with second

"I just need to replay that last run," Bell told TNT. "I was really struggling with the handling of my car early in the race but I still had a lot of pace. They made a great adjustment and got the car driving great the last run. I was soft on my green flag entry for sure, which gave up a little bit of time. Great day. 

"We almost went to victory lane. Toyotas are fast, it seems like a monkey can drive them. so it's disappointing when you get beat by another monkey. Just a second-place driver man, that's what I am."

Bell also finished second at Nashville, Charlotte and Phoenix earlier in the season. He's still searching for his first win of 2026 and is 10th in the Cup Series standings through 19 races. 

With seven races left in the regular season, Bell is 105 points above the Chase cut line.