The penultimate race of the NASCAR season was a harsh event for Christopher Bell, who found himself eliminated from the playoffs.
His final lap wall-riding earned him a disqualification and saw him miss out on a spot in the Championship 4.
It was an agonising result for a driver who had been so impressive all season, and arguably the best man out on the track.
Instead, he will be left to wait until 2025 to get some revenge, as Joey Logano wrapped up his third Cup Series title in Phoenix.
Dale Earnhardt Jr says tactics were ‘nothing new’
He wasn’t the only shock elimination in the Round of 8, as Kyle Larson – the driver with the most wins and laps led was knocked out too.
Neither could come up with a victory when it mattered most, although Bell called one thing out for stacking the odds against him further.
After his elimination, he called some of his rivals out for manipulating the race in Martinsville, which he believed that unfair.
Speaking on his own podcast, Dale Earnhardt Jr reminded Bell that his actions were similar just a few years ago.
“Saying, ‘It’s one of the hardest things I’ve had to go through as a race car driver.’
“Again, I’ll tell him he should probably go watch Martinsville from several years ago when the car he was driving was sort of doing the same thing for Denny [Hamlin] at the end of the race. This is nothing new.”
Why Bell only has himself to blame
Bell led the championship for much of the first half of the NASCAR playoffs, but couldn’t muster a win when he needed to.
His second places at both Charlotte and Vegas when in contention for victory are ultimately what cost him a chance to progress.
Both days he was disappointed that he didn’t win, and rightfully so – because it put him in a less-than-ideal position for Martinsville.
The only person he can blame for not making the final four is himself for not putting daylight between himself and his rivals earlier.
In 2025, he will surely return to the playoffs, and he will be more aware than ever of what is required to progress.