NASCAR drivers always remember their victories. They also never seem to forget the ones that get away.
Christopher Bell has a few of those painful memories from the past two playoff races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
He finished second in the past two South Point 400 races at LVMS in the fall. Both in heartbreaking fashion.
Bell will get a chance to break through for his first win at the 1½-mile oval when the NASCAR Cup Series returns to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the South Point 400, the first race of the Round of 8 in the playoffs.
The green flag for the South Point 400 is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Action at the track begins Saturday with Cup Series practice at 1:30 p.m. and qualifying at 2:40.
Saturday concludes with the NASCAR Xfinity Series Focused Health 302 playoff race at 4:30 p.m.
Bell is among the final eight drivers remaining in the playoffs who are eligible for the Cup Series title. The Norman, Oklahoma, native is fifth in the playoff point standings at four points below the cutline to the top four.
If Bell or any of the playoff drivers win at Las Vegas — or any of the other two races in the Round of 8 — they will lock themselves into the Championship 4 and race for the Cup Series title Nov. 2 at Phoenix.
“I want to win (at Las Vegas). I want to win here so bad for multiple reasons,” Bell said. “It’s such an important race. If you can come here and win this race and lock yourself in (to the Championship 4), you get three weeks to prepare for Phoenix. That is such an advantage.”
Runner-up finishes
Bell has started from the pole in the past two South Point 400 races. In 2023, he made a late charge but was unable to pass Kyle Larson in a close finish. Bell went on to win at Homestead-Miami the following week and made the Championship 4.
The driver of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota wasn’t as lucky in 2024. Bell won the pole and led a race-high 155 laps, but Joey Logano stretched his fuel for nearly the final 70 laps and held off Bell for the win.
Bell missed the Championship 4 after a 22nd-place finish at Martinsville two weeks later. The win set up Logano for Phoenix, where he won his third Cup Series title.
“Last year, I felt like we came into the playoffs as one of the favorites, if not the favorite, and we didn’t make (the Championship 4),” Bell said. “(Last year was) a friendly reminder that nothing’s guaranteed, and it’s all ahead of you. It doesn’t matter if you’re the favorite or the underdog, you’re going to have an opportunity if you go out there and make it.
“I feel probably more comfortable than ever going into this playoff time.”
‘Our best opportunity’
Bell won three consecutive races early in the season — Atlanta, Circuit of the Americas and Phoenix. Those were his only wins in the regular season.
“This year we haven’t performed as strong, but we’ve been able to squeak out finishes,” Bell said. “I know that we have that key ingredient to perform well and to lead laps. We’ve been struggling to find it, but I love the aspect that we’re able to finish better than what we’ve been performing.”
When the playoffs started, Bell started performing. He won the Round of 16 finale at Bristol and has five straight top-10 finishes. He finished third at Kansas on Sept. 28, a similar style 1½-mile track as Las Vegas.
The string of strong runs can only boost Bell’s confidence. He was already confident when the 2025 schedule was released and he saw the tracks that made up the playoffs.
“It’s never been better, that’s for sure,” Bell said of his chances to win his first Cup Series title. “As soon as the (2025) schedule got released … we said ‘2025 is a 20-car year.’ The tracks lay out perfect for us. Phoenix is the championship event, which is probably my best track on the calendar. We know this is our best opportunity.”
Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X
Up next
What: NASCAR Cup Series South Point 400
When: 2:30 p.m. Sunday
Where: Las Vegas Motor Speedway
TV: USA Network
Radio: KDWN-FM (101.5)
Favorites: Christopher Bell, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson (+450)