That is racing at its most agonizing. Christopher Bell missed out on victory by a mere 0.029 seconds at the checkered flag of Sunday’s Bank of America 400 Chase race presented by Mobil 1, falling just short of Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Chase Briscoe in a wild Charlotte photo finish.
It was the closest Cup Series finish so far in 2026 and the second-closest finish in Charlotte Cup history, trailing only the historic May 29, 2005 battle where Jimmie Johnson beat Bobby Labonte in the Coca-Cola 600. Bell was more than two seconds behind Briscoe with under 10 laps to go, but lapped traffic slowed the No. 19 machine and handed the Oklahoman a miraculous opening.
I came in negative-55, and I’m leaving negative-51. So that ain’t gonna do it.
“I think I’m just in shock right now,” Bell said. “I didn’t think it was going to end like that. I was just out there logging laps. I stayed with him pretty good, and then I had a couple moments where I slid really bad and let him get away.”
Briscoe and the No. 19 JGR Toyota ultimately held off Bell’s No. 20 machine to secure the win, leaving the runner-up wondering what could have been. “I just didn’t expect to get there,” Bell added. “Whenever I got beside of him, I thought I stalled him, and then I kind of got out of shape. I guess I should have stayed into him a little bit harder and tried to nose him to the line.”
According to No. 20 crew chief Adam Stevens, fuel saving was never discussed until the final laps of the longest green-flag run of the day. Instead, the race was decided on pit road during the final caution with 60 to go, when an 8.696-second pit stop propelled Briscoe into the lead for the final restart. “We just lost the lead on pit road, man,” Stevens told NASCAR.com. “We can’t lose the lead on pit road and have it go green the rest of the day.”
The result marks the eighth runner-up finish of 2026 for the No. 20 pilot, who led 93 laps and collected valuable stage points with third- and first-place results in Stages 1 and 2. Having entered the day third in The Chase standings and 55 points behind leader Kyle Larson, Bell managed to shave four points off the deficit by collecting 53 markers on the afternoon.
Even so, cutting the gap to 51 points with four races remaining offered little comfort to a driver chasing championships. “It doesn’t do any good in the grand scheme of things,” Bell said of his eighth runner-up result in 2026. “I came in negative-55, and I’m leaving negative-51. So that ain’t gonna do it.” The Cup Series returns next Sunday at Phoenix Raceway, a track where Bell is a two-time winner with victories in the spring of 2024 and 2025.
