Christopher Bell Wins Bristol, Joe Gibbs Racing Sweeps NASCAR Playoff Round

Christopher Bell won the Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway, marking his fourth victory of the season and securing a first-round sweep of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs for Joe Gibbs Racing. The race was characterized by extreme tire wear, forcing NASCAR to issue an extra set of tires and resulting in 14 cautions, the most in 20 years for a Bristol Night Race. Bell capitalized on fresh tires during a late restart to overtake competitors like Carson Hocevar and Zane Smith, holding off a last-lap aggressive bump from Brad Keselowski to claim the win. This victory ended Bell's 24-race winless streak at Bristol and continued Toyota's playoff dominance, with two Chevys and a Ford eliminated while five Toyota cars advanced. The race also featured significant playoff drama, including Austin Cindric's fire incident and the elimination of drivers like Alex Bowman, Josh Berry, Shane van Gisbergen, and Austin Dillon. Bell dedicated his win to a personal cause, reflecting on a tough week, and expressed relief and pride in his team's performance.