Bell wins on rain tyres in weekend sweep

Christopher Bell completed a wild and wet sweep of the NASCAR weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway with an overtime win in Sunday’s Cup race on rain tyres.

Bell, who won Saturday’s Xfinity Series race, got a big jump on the field on an overtime restart and cruised to a 1.104-second win over a surprising Chase Briscoe.

The final 77 laps of the race were run on wet weather tyres – the longest stint since NASCAR implemented their use on some oval tracks.

Bell moved into the lead for the final time on lap 242 and held on to the top spot through five agonising restarts. The victory is Bell’s third of the 2024 season – tied for the most of any driver – and ninth of his Cup career.

Bell was already well versed on wet weather tyres at New Hampshire as they were utilised at the start of Saturday’s Xfinity race, which was his fourth at the track in that series.

“I personally love adverse conditions because you’re always trying to think outside the box.

“Whenever we went back out, I was feeling around, and it felt like the normal Loudon groove was really, really slippery.

Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing, Rheem Toyota Camry and Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports, NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro

Photo by: Rusty Jarrett / NKP / Motorsport Images

“I tried to just run down or run up, and Adam (Stevens, crew chief) put the tune on this thing, and it was turning really good. And hey, guys, this one didn’t get shortened.”

Josh Berry ended up third, Kyle Larson fourth and Chris Buescher rounded out the top five.

Tyler Reddick appeared to have victory in hand thanks to staying out after the end of Stage 2, won by Denny Hamlin who stayed out when most others pitted, and gambling the bad weather would reach the track before the end of the race.

It did, but NASCAR waited out a two-hour, 15-minute rain delay to dry the track enough to utilise the wet weather tyres. Reddick duly finished sixth, ahead of Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and John Hunter Nemechek. 

Martin Truex Jr. rallied to ninth after a slow right-rear tyre change at the start of the final Stage, and being spun around by Brad Keselowski, while Ross Chastain completed the top 10 despite himself being turned around by Justin Haley.

Reddick and Michael McDowell led the way with 108 laps remaining as the final Stage began, although the caution flags flew immediately when Logano pushed up the track and into Chase Elliott, sending the regular season points leader spinning. 

Reddick led McDowell and Larson when the green flag returned on lap 200 and rain about 20 minutes out from the track.

On lap 216, Kyle Busch spun around off Turn 4 and slammed into the inside wall to bring out a caution with Reddick still in the lead.

Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing, SiriusXM Toyota Camry

Photo by: Rusty Jones / NKP / Motorsport Images

During the caution, it began to rain, and NASCAR displayed the red flag after lap 219. After a nearly a two-hour, 15-minute delay, the weather cleared, and NASCAR had teams change to wet weather tyres before it restarted with 74 laps remaining.

Reddick remained the lead after Chastain’s spin brought out a caution with 60 laps to go, but Bell went to the apron and powered around Reddick for the lead shortly after racing resumed.

His position was unaffected by four more cautions in the closing stages. 

Gragson spun around on the apron on lap 265, then drifted up the track and into Austin Dillon and Bubba Wallace in an incident that ended up collecting five cars. 

Carson Hocevar looped it around off Turn 2, then Ryan Blaney and McDowell wrecked to set up another restart with four laps to go. Keselowski spun around with two laps remaining to send the race into a two-lap overtime.

NASCAR Cup New Hampshire Race Results