Christopher Bell crashes in late stages after dominant Nashville run

Christopher Bell crashed out of Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Nashville Superspeedway.

With 73 laps to go, Bell entered Turn 1 in a gaggle of cars before his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota snapped sideways. His car quickly spun left-rear first into the SAFER barrier between Turns 1 and 2, ultimately resulting in damage too significant to continue. Bell will be credited with a 36th-place finish.

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Bell had dominated Sunday’s Ally 400, leading a race-high 131 laps before the incident. A Lap 218 caution for Chase Elliott’s Turn 4 spin ultimately shook up pit strategy throughout the field. The No. 20 team elected to take four tires and a full tank of fuel, dropping Bell outside the top 10 for the ensuing restart.

Bell entered as the series’ most recent winner after a June 23 victory at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The 29-year-old Oklahoma native has won three Cup races this season, including the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Memorial Day Weekend.

This story will be updated.