Christopher Bell Surprise ROVAL Winner

Christopher Bell celebrating in Victory Lane

(CONCORD, NC - OCT 9, 2022 - RIS) Christopher Bell came from third in the field to win the Bank of America ROVAL 400 after a late race caution and a red flag, both for debris, extended the 109-lap, 400 kilometer race by three laps. 

The win puts Bell in fourth place going to next weekend’s race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, with Chase Elliott at the top of the standings, followed by Joey Logano and Ross Chastain. The top eight drivers are Elliott, Logano, Chastain, Bell, Ryan Blaney, William Byron, Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe.

“Whenever I came off pit road and I was the first car with tires, I was just trying to wait and see where I stacked up,” said Bell.

“I saw there were 11 cars that stayed out on old tires, I was the first one on new tires. I said, I guess we're going to roll the dice here and see what happens.

“When I got into turn one, my spotter did an amazing job. They all started wrecking. He told me to stay tight to the middle, and that kept me out of all the junk in turn one.”

Runner-up Kevin Harvick, leading at the final cautions, said: “I knew we were gonna have to have a perfect corner there with Christopher having such fresher tires.  He was able to get through traffic and was able to roll through a little bit more speed in turn one, turn two, turn three and turn four and just got in front of me, but we were able to hold Kyle off so it’s still a good day.  Our Mobil 1 Ford Mustang guys did a great job of putting us in position and having a chance.  We were half a lap there from being in the right spot.  It didn’t all work out, but still a good day.”

Unofficial Results: 63rd Annual Bank of America ROVAL 400 - October 9, 2022 - Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course
Fin, Str, Driver, Car, Laps , St1, St2, Tms Led, Laps Led, Playoff Pts, Pts, Status
1) 8, Christopher Bell (P), No. 20 DeWalt Toyota, 112, , , 1, 2, 5, 40, Running
2) 22, Kevin Harvick, No. 4tMobil 1 Ford, 112, , , 1, 4, , 35, Running
3) 20, Kyle Busch, No. 18 M&M's Toyota, 112, , , , , , 34, Running
4) 7, AJ Allmendinger(i), No. 16 Action Industries Chevrolet, 112, 10, 4, 3, 24, , 0, Running
5) 13, Justin Haley, No. 31 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet, 112, , , , , , 32, Running
6) 21, Chris Buescher, No. 17 Fastenal Ford, 112, , , , , , 31, Running
7) 14, Bubba Wallace (P), No. 45 ROOT Insurance Toyota, 112, , , , , , 30, Running
8) 4, Tyler Reddick, No. 8 3Chi Chevrolet, 112, 9, 5, 2, 21, , 37, Running
9) 17, Chase Briscoe (P), No. 14 Ford Performance Racing School Ford, 112, 7, 8, , , , 35, Running
10) 15, Austin Dillon, No. 3 Get Bioethanol Chevrolet, 112, , , , , , 27, Running
11) 26, Erik Jones, No. 43 FOCUSfactor Chevrolet, 112, , , 1, 1, , 26, Running
12) 30, Corey LaJoie, No. 7 Raze Energy Chevrolet, 112, , , , , , 25, Running
13) 24, Denny Hamlin (P), No. 11 FedEx Freight Toyota, 112, 8, , , , , 27, Running
14) 31, Brad Keselowski, No. 6 Castrol Ford, 112, , , , , , 23, Running
15) 37, Aric Almirola, No. 10 Haas Automation Ford, 112, , , , , , 22, Running
16) 2, William Byron (P), No. 24 Valvoline Chevrolet, 112, 2, , , , , 30, Running
17) 19, Martin Truex Jr, No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota, 112, , , , , , 20, Running
18) 1, Joey Logano (P), No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, 112, 1, 7, 1, 27, 1, 33, Running
19) 25, Ricky Stenhouse Jr, No. 47 Harris Teeter/Scott Chevrolet, 112, , , , , , 18, Running
20) 9, Chase Elliott (P), No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, 112, , 10, 1, 30, , 18, Running
21) 5, Austin Cindric # (P), No. 2 Menards/Richmond Ford, 112, 5, , , , , 22, Running
22) 16, Ty Gibbs(i), No. 23 Monster Energy Toyota, 112, , , , , , 0, Running
23) 29, Noah Gragson(i) (P), No. 48 Ally Chevrolet, 112, , , , , , 0, Running
24) 12, Cole Custer, No. 41 Autodesk/HaasTooling.com Ford, 112, , , , , , 13, Running
25) 28, Ty Dillon, No. 42 QuickChek Chevrolet, 112, , , , , , 12, Running
26) 6, Ryan Blaney (P), No. 12 Discount Tire Ford, 112, 4, 9, , , , 20, Running
27) 11, Michael McDowell, No. 34 Love's Travel Stops Ford, 112, , , , , , 10, Running
28) 23, Harrison Burton #, No. 21 Dex Imaging Ford, 111, , 2, , , , 18, Running
29) 34, Mike Rockenfeller, No. 77 Bon Secours/Swamp Rabbits Chevrolet, 111, , , , , , 8, Running
30) 32, Todd Gilliland #, No. 38 First Phase Ford, 111, , , , , , 7, Running
31) 38, Josh Williams(i), No. 78 Alloy Employer Services Ford, 110, , , , , , 0, Running
32) 35, JJ Yeley(i), No. 51 Nurtec ODT UBCF Ford, 110, , , , , , 0, Running
33) 36, Loris Hezemans(i), No. 27 Hezeberg Systems Ford, 110, , , , , , 0, Running
34) 39, Conor Daly, No. 50 Bitnile.com Chevrolet, 109, , , , , , 3, Running
35) 18, Kyle Larson (P), No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, 107, 6, 3, , , , 15, Running
36) 3, Daniel Suarez (P), No. 99 CommScope Chevrolet, 107, 3, 6, , , , 14, Running
37) 10, Ross Chastain (P), No. 1 Worldwide Express Chevrolet, 103, , 1, 1, 3, 1, 11, Running
38) 27, Joey Hand, No. 15 Ford BlueOval City Ford, 79, , , , , , 1, Accident
39) 33, Daniil Kvyat(i), No. 26 Hezeberg Systems Toyota, 17, , , , , , 0, Engine
(i) Ineligible for driver points in this series, (#) Rookie, (P) Playoffs

Length: 112 Laps, 259.84 Miles
Time: 2 Hrs, 59 Mins, 54 Secs.
Average Speed: 86.661 MPH
Margin of Victory: 1.790 Seconds

Stage 1 Top 10: 22, 24, 99, 12, 2, 5, 14, 11, 8, 16
Stage 2 Top 10: 1, 21, 5, 16, 8, 99, 22, 14, 12,

Comments: Christopher Bell has won the Bank of America ROVAL 400 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course, his third career victory in the NASCAR Cup Series.

Prior to the start, the following vehicle(s) dropped to the rear of the field under penalty: Nos. 1, 6, 17, 27, 50 (Unapproved Adjustments), No. 10 (Engine Change), No. 78 (Multiple Inspection Failures).

Cautions: 4 for 10 laps;
Laps: 27-29 (Stage 1 Conclusion [None]);
52-54 (Stage 2 Conclusion [None]);
105-106 (Debris [47]);
109-110 (Debris [Red Flag: 00:06:10] [7]).

Lead Changes: 10 among 8 drivers;
J. Logano (P) 1-27;
T. Reddick 28-30;
A. Allmendinger(i) 31-48;
R. Chastain (P) 49-51;
A. Allmendinger(i) 52-54;
T. Reddick 55-72;
A. Allmendinger(i) 73-75;
E. Jones 76;
C. Elliott (P) 77-106;
K. Harvick 107-110;
C. Bell (P) 111-112.

Unofficial Points, 63rd Annual Bank of America ROVAL 400 - Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course
Rank, Driver, Car, Starts, GL, Points, Ldr, Nxt, Race Wins, Stage Wins, Playoff Pts
1) Chase Elliott (P), 9, 32, 0, 4046, 0, 0, 5, 6, 46
2) Joey Logano (P), 22, 32, 3, 4026, -20, 20, 2, 6, 26
3) Ross Chastain (P), 1, 32, 0, 4021, -25, 5, 2, 6, 21
4) Christopher Bell (P), 20, 32, 7, 4018, -28, 3, 2, 4, 18
5) Ryan Blaney (P), 12, 32, -3, 4015, -31, 3, 0, 7, 15
6) William Byron (P), 24, 32, 1, 4015, -31, 0, 2, 4, 15
7) Denny Hamlin (P), 11, 32, -3, 4013, -33, 2, 2, 3, 13
8) Chase Briscoe (P), 14, 32, 1, 4009, -37, 4, 1, 4, 9
9) Kyle Larson (P), 5, 32, -3, 2200, -1846, 1809, 2, 4, 20
10) Daniel Suarez (P), 99, 32, -2, 2162, -1884, 38, 1, 2, 7
11) Austin Cindric # (P), 2, 32, -1, 2154, -1892, 8, 1, 1, 6
12) Tyler Reddick, 8, 32, 1, 2153, -1893, 1, 3, 2, 17
13) Austin Dillon, 3, 32, 1, 2134, -1912, 19, 1, 0, 5
14) Kyle Busch, 18, 32, 1, 2123, -1923, 11, 1, 3, 10
15) Alex Bowman, , 30, -3, 2104, -1942, 19, 1, 2, 7
16) Kevin Harvick, 4, 32, 0, 2006, -2040, 98, 2, 0, 12
17) Martin Truex Jr, 19, 32, 0, 900, -3146, 1106, 0, 7, 0
18) Erik Jones, 43, 32, 0, 753, -3293, 147, 1, 0, 5
19) Bubba Wallace (P), 45, 32, 0, 708, -3338, 45, 1, 1, 5
20) Aric Almirola, 10, 32, 0, 685, -3361, 23, 0, 0, 0
21) Chris Buescher, 17, 31, 0, 652, -3394, 33, 1, 0, 5
22) Justin Haley, 31, 32, 0, 647, -3399, 5, 0, 0, 0
23) Michael McDowell, 34, 32, 0, 592, -3454, 55, 0, 0, 0
24) Brad Keselowski, 6, 32, 0, 564, -3482, 28, 0, 1, 1
25) Cole Custer, 41, 32, 0, 550, -3496, 14, 0, 0, 0
26) Ricky Stenhouse Jr, 47, 32, 0, 524, -3522, 26, 0, 0, 0
27) Harrison Burton #, 21, 32, 1, 501, -3545, 23, 0, 0, 0
28) Ty Dillon, 42, 32, 2, 486, -3560, 15, 0, 0, 0
29) Kurt Busch, , 20, -2, 485, -3561, 1, 1, 2, 0
30) Todd Gilliland #, 38, 32, -1, 481, -3565, 4, 0, 0, 0
31) Corey LaJoie, 7, 32, 0, 404, -3642, 77, 0, 0, 0
32) Cody Ware, , 31, 0, 276, -3770, 128, 0, 0, 0
33) David Ragan, , 4, 0, 89, -3957, 187, 0, 0, 0
34) Joey Hand, 15, 6, 0, 64, -3982, 25, 0, 0, 0
35) Greg Biffle, , 5, 0, 24, -4022, 40, 0, 0, 0
36) Jacques Villeneuve, , 1, 0, 15, -4031, 9, 0, 0, 0
37) Mike Rockenfeller, 77, 2, 2, 15, -4031, 0, 0, 0, 0
38) Boris Said, , 1, -1, 11, -4035, 4, 0, 0, 0
39) Kyle Tilley, , 2, -1, 8, -4038, 3, 0, 0, 0
40) Conor Daly, 50, 1, 22, 3, -4043, 5, 0, 0, 0
41) Kimi Raikkonen, , 1, 0, 1, -4045, 2, 0, 0, 0
42) AJ Allmendinger(i), 16, 14, 0, 0, -4046, 1, 0, 0, 0
43) Landon Cassill(i), , 13, 0, 0, -4046, 0, 0, 0, 0
44) Noah Gragson(i) (P), 48, 15, 0, 0, -4046, 0, 0, 0, 0
45) Bj Mcleod(i), , 25, 0, 0, -4046, 0, 0, 0, 0
46) Daniel Hemric(i), , 8, 0, 0, -4046, 0, 0, 0, 0
47) Ty Gibbs(i), 23, 12, 0, 0, -4046, 0, 0, 0, 0
48) Josh Bilicki(i), , 16, 0, 0, -4046, 0, 0, 0, 0
49) Zane Smith(i), , 1, 0, 0, -4046, 0, 0, 0, 0
50) Austin Hill(i), , 1, 0, 0, -4046, 0, 0, 0, 0
51) Garrett Smithley(i), , 5, 0, 0, -4046, 0, 0, 0, 0
52) JJ Yeley(i), 51, 16, 0, 0, -4046, 0, 0, 0, 0
53) Kaz Grala(i), , 3, 0, 0, -4046, 0, 0, 0, 0
54) Josh Williams(i), 78, 3, 0, 0, -4046, 0, 0, 0, 0
55) Ryan Preece(i), , 2, 0, 0, -4046, 0, 0, 0, 0
56) Justin Allgaier(i), , 2, 0, 0, -4046, 0, 0, 0, 0
57) Parker Kligerman(i), , 1, 0, 0, -4046, 0, 0, 0, 0
58) Loris Hezemans(i), 27, 5, 0, 0, -4046, 0, 0, 0, 0
59) Scott Heckert(i), , 1, 0, 0, -4046, 0, 0, 0, 0
60) Daniil Kvyat(i), 26, 3, -20, 0, -4046, 0, 0, 0, 0
61) Andy Lally(i), , 1, -1, 0, -4046, 0, 0, 0, 0
62) Timmy Hill(i), , 0, -1, 0, -4046, 0, 0, 0, 0
 -Ldr/-Nxt = Points behind Leader/Next higher, (i) Ineligible for driver points in this series