Christopher Bell won Sunday’s Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway to clinch a spot in the Round of 8, and he credited a late gamble by the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota team for the win.
The No. 20 Toyota decided to gamble by pitting during a caution on lap 105 at the Bank of America Roval 400. Bell got new tires and was able to move into third after the restart. A red flag then came out so the track could repair some curbing. Several drivers pitted during that time, and Bell began the following restart second, next to Kevin Harvick on the front row.
The No. 20 was able to claim victory in overtime on the new tires.
“I was the first car with (new) tires. I was just trying to wait and see where I stacked up. And then I saw there were 11 cars that stayed out on old tires, and I was the first one on new tires. So I said, ‘I guess we’re going to roll the dice here and see what happens,’” Bell said after the race.
In separate comments, Bell noted just how important the new tires were.