The NASCAR Cup season is in full swing, and another check has been ticked off for drivers with the Ambetter Health 400. Joe Gibbs driver No. 20 Christopher Bell led the charge on Sunday night at Atlanta Motorspeedway, dominating the field of 39. Kyle Larson and rising star Carson Hocevar edged him for several laps, but Bell remained unfazed and set on holding the field.
Christopher Bell Emerges Victorious
Knowing Bell could elude him, Kyle Larson maintained an edge up into the last lap of the Ambetter Health 400. He tried to gain on Bell until a collision ensued. Larson was then left in the dust after making contact with Penske driver Austin Cindric’s Ford Mustang Dark Horse.
Also caught in the scuffle was Daytona 500 winner William Byron, racing against the clock to contend with Bell, Larson, and Hocevar. The yellow flag was dropped as debris littered the back straightaway at Atlanta Motorspeedway, and caution was out.
The Ambetter Health 400 was then declared in overtime. Yet, once the post-collision debris was cleared, Bell trailed Larson until an aggressive bump draft by Carson Hocevar stirred a multi-car collision with Josh Berry.
Christopher Bell bypassed the wreckage and crossed the finish line for his 10th career cup win at the Ambetter Health 400. The JGR driver spoke candidly about his win, mentioning the struggle with Larson on the final lap.
“This style of racing has just always been a little bit of a struggle for me, and throughout the beginning of the day, we obviously were just stuck way in the back,” Bell said of his Sunday win.”Crew chief Adam Stevens and these boys back here, they did an amazing job getting this thing fixed up to where I could just hold my foot down.”
“That’s what it’s all about.” “You have to be able to stay in the throttle, and that last half of the race we were at our best,” he added.
Ambetter Health 400: NASCAR Cup Series Results |
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| Start | Finish | No. | Driver | Team |
| P32 | P1 | #20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| P26 | P2 | #77 | Carson Hocevar | Spire Motorsports |
| P16 | P3 | #05 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports |
| P1 | P4 | #12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske |
| P34 | P5 | #47 | Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. | HYAK Motorsports |
| P37 | P6 | #11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| P6 | P7 | #08 | Kyle Busch | Richard Childress Racing |
| P33 | P8 | #1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing |
| P14 | P9 | #23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XL Racing |
| P22 | P10 | #42 | John Hunter Nemechek | Legacy Motorclub |
| P7 | P11 | #38 | Zane Smith | Front Row Motorsports |
| P4 | P12 | #22 | Joey Logano | Front Row Motorsports |
| P24 | P13 | #71 | Michael McDowell | Spire Motorsports |
| P12 | P14 | #16 | AJ Allmendinger | Kauling Racing |
| P5 | P15 | #34 | Todd Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports |
| P15 | P16 | #03 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing |
| P27 | P17 | #35 | Riley Herbst | 23XL Racing |
| P11 | P18 | #60 | Ryan Preece | RFK Racing |
| P19 | P19 | #45 | Tyler Reddick | 23XL Racing |
| P18 | P20 | #09 | Chase Elliot | Hendrick Motorsports |
| P25 | P21 | #19 | Chase Briscoe | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| P38 | P22 | #78 | BJ McLeod | Live Fast Motorsports |
| P30 | P23 | #88 | Shane Van Gisbergen | Trackhouse Racing |
| P21 | P24 | #07 | Justin Haley | Spire Motorsports |
| P3 | P25 | #21 | Josh Berry | Wood Brothers Racing |
| P13 | P26 | #48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports |
| P17 | P27 | #24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports |
| P2 | P28 | #02 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske |
| P20 | P29 | #10 | Ty Dillon | Kauling Racing |
| P8 | P30 | #17 | Chris Buescher | RFK Racing |
| P28 | P31 | #43 | Erik Jones | Legacy Motorclub |
| P36 | P32 | #54 | Ty Gibbs | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| P29 | P33 | #99 | Daniel Suarez | Trackhouse Racing |
| P10 | P34 | #04 | Noah Gragson | Front Row Motorsports |
| P31 | P35 | #51 | Cody Ware | Rick Ware Racing |
| P23 | P36 | #41 | Cole Custer | Haas Factory Team |
| P39 | P37 | #44 | JJ Yeley | NY Racing Team |
| P35 | P38 | #01 | Corey LaJoie | Rick Ware Racing |
| P9 | P39 | #06 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing |
Final Thoughts
Several moments during the Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motorspeedway on Feb 23. stumped JGR’s Christopher Bell, but he held on strong. Still, the one that stuck out was the on-track war on the back straightaway with HMS Kyle Larson and SPM Carson Hocevar. The pair edged his bumper throughout the last half of the race, but Bell carried his dominance.
The final lap was when things seemed to fall apart when a multi-car collision involving William Byron and Josh Berry ensued. Christopher Bell, who miraculously emerged unscathed, coursed to clinch his first win of the season at the Ambetter Health 400. Can he do it again on March 2nd in Austin? Tune into FOX Sports for the EchoPark Automotive Grandprix at the Circuit of the Americas at 3:30 PM EST
