Christopher Bell disappointed after P2 finish at Las Vegas: 'Didn't quite capture it'

In the end, Christopher Bell needed one more lap to win the NASCAR South Point 400. It just wasn’t meant to be with Kyle Larson in the lead. After the race, Bell felt that he had let his chance at a Championship 4 appearance slip through his fingers.

A year ago, Christopher Bell had to get two walk-off wins to make the Championship 4. Martinsville is where he punched his ticket to Phoenix. This year, it might end up being similar after he lost out on this win at Las Vegas.

He won the pole. He was second and third in the first two stages. Second overall! Larson was just better. Still, Bell is two points under the cutline as he chases teammates Martin Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin in the points battle.

“Man, I don’t know what else I could have done,” Bell said after the race. “Very, I don’t know. I feel like that was my moment, that was my moment to make the final four and didn’t quite capture it. Coming to the checkered [flag] there I knew that he was going to be blocking so I’m like I’m going to try to go high and he went high but I don’t know if I had a run to get by him coming to the line.

“So just wasn’t enough but a great day, a great day for sure to get those stage points and get a second place finish out of it. I think I saw we’re minus two so we’re not out of it by any means but it would have been nice to lock in.”

Christopher Bell is still very much in the championship hunt. Right after the race though, this one clearly stings.

Christopher Bell let one get away

I get why Bell would feel that way after the race. He was right there with a chance to win if he just had a little more momentum, just one more lap. Perhaps a late restart. None of that came. Bell instead had to battle his way over 15 laps to make up 1.4 seconds in distance. It was a valiant effort.

Christopher Bell has fewer top-5 finishes in this season’s playoffs compared to last year. Still, it feels like he’s right there with a shot at Phoenix. Heading to Homestead-Miami, a track where he has one top-10 finish, it doesn’t look great.

However, Bell has qualified very well at Homestead. He’s qualified P2 and P3 in the last two races at the track. All he has to do is turn that qualifying speed into race speed. With four pole awards already in the postseason, could we see another pole for Bell next week?

For fans of the 20, don’t worry too much, yet. Save that for Martinsville and the final 50 laps or so. Christopher Bell is qualifying better than anyone else right now in the Cup Series. He is just on the verge of pulling off his first asphalt win of the season. Can he get it done in the next couple of weeks and again in Phoenix?