AVONDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Christopher Bell made clear Saturday that he believes he was cheated out of a chance to capture the Cup Series championship by NASCAR as he was penalized for reacting to race manipulation in the final playoff qualifying race.

Bell moved out of the way of Toyota driver Bubba Wallace last Sunday because Wallace allegedly had a flat tire. This caused him to crash into the wall on the final lap at Martinsville Speedway, and he took some time to gain momentum; This was banned after Ross Chastain did it in 2022 to earn the last spot in NASCAR’s winner-take-all championship finale. .

“It was never my intention to ride the wall; “I didn’t gain an advantage by riding the wall,” Bell said. “I don’t believe I broke a rule. I feel cheated. I feel cheated of my chance to race for the championship, and it all started with the race being fixed and manipulated by Chevrolet.

“I don’t think I should have ever been in this situation if the race had been run fairly, (William Byron) would have lost enough points to put me in the final race.”

It took NASCAR about 30 minutes after the race at Martinsville to decide whether Bell had committed a safety violation and whether he or Byron would take the final spot in the finale. Both drivers waited by their cars, and NASCAR eventually gave his seat to Byron.

This prevented Bell from making his third consecutive trip to the fourth championship.

“I understood his comments and how he felt,” team owner Joe Gibbs said. “I think what happened could have been handled very differently.”

Bell insisted Saturday that he was forced to crash into the wall because Chevrolet drivers Ross Chastain and Austin Dillon were clearly blocking their cars from passing Byron, who Bell was battling for the final position in the championship race.

“I could clearly see the manipulations and race corrections being made in the race,” Bell said. he said.

NASCAR fined $600,000 and suspended nine team members from Chastain, Dillon and Wallace’s teams for Sunday’s season finale. During his annual state of the sport address on Friday, chief operating officer Steve O’Donnell said the race at Martinsville “pissed me off and pissed off everyone in NASCAR because we all know better.”

NASCAR met with Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota and assured them there will be a “1000%” rule banning race manipulation next year, and a special driver meeting with NASCAR executives was held in Phoenix early Saturday to discuss the issue.

“I feel like I should be in the fourth championship, yes,” Bell said. “So when the manipulation happened in the race, it was clear that I needed a position. When (Wallace) pulled away, we took that position and every time we crossed the finish line, (I) was in. So, based on the cards that were dealt, (I) was in position to make the championship event and we were in it.”

NASCAR said it is strongly considering the suspension of drivers involved in race manipulation; It was a punishment Bell wasn’t sure he would accept. But he noted that manufacturers traditionally work together at Daytona and Talladega when deciding who to push during the draft and in traffic.

Bell stated that Kyle Larson did not push Ford driver Brad Keselowski to victory in the closing laps of the Talladega Superspeedway race, and that this victory went to fellow Chevrolet driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

“I don’t envy the situation we’re in because when you’re talking about team racing, which has been a staple of speedway racing for a long time, I don’t know what the answer is, especially when it comes to superspeedway racing,” Bell said. “There’s a lot going on behind the scenes.”

Denny Hamlin, meanwhile, said Wallace’s tire was “completely bald” when inspected post-race. Hamlin owns Wallace’s car at 23XI Racing but is Bell’s teammate at Joe Gibbs Racing.

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