By Don Coble, Florida Sports Wires
In 2011, although he had eight finishes in the top seven, Tony Stewart was winless during the NASCAR Cup Series regular season. He started the Chase for the Championship mired in a dead-last tie with four other drivers.
Then he caught fire in the playoffs by winning five of 10 races – the final one clinching the series championship by beating Carl Edwards in a tiebreaker.
Flash forward to Sunday night’s Cook Out Southern 500 at the Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. Christopher Bell started the playoffs without a regular season victory, but he did have 12 finishes in the top seven, including seven as the runner-up.
And just like Stewart 16 years earlier, Bell picked the best time to squeeze a little extra from his car by leading the final 12 laps on what most consider the most-difficult track to tame and winning by nearly 75 yards.
His late move past Kyle Larson was impressive, but nothing compared to his jump from sixth to second in the standings.
“The Southern 500 has always been my golden ticket,” said the driver of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. “You know, the Daytona 500 is a huge race, but it’s not a driver’s track. There’s a lot of things that go into that outside of your control. The Southern 500 is the ultimate driver’s race.
“We won today and got, whatever it was, 20 points. I know he [points leader Denny Hamlin] had issues. Denny had issues that helped us erase the deficit more. But you know, all of us are going to run well week in and week out. So, it’s going to be those wins that make the difference that catapult you to the lead in the points standings. I still believe that I will have to win more races in the Chase if I want to be the champion.”
Bell was in sixth place in the standings, 45 points in arrears, before Sunday’s race. He moved to second at the fabled racetrack, and he now trails Hamlin by only 12 heading into Sunday’s Enjoy Illinois 300 at the World Wide Technology Raceway at Madison, Illinois.
Bell’s move in the standings could have been even more dramatic, but eight of the other top 10 finishers were also in the Chase.
Bell said drivers revere the 1.366-mile oval like no other. The track has been on the NASCAR schedule since 1950, and its egg-shaped layout – original owner Harold Brasington narrowed Turns 3 and 4 so it wouldn’t affect a minnow pond – and abrasive pavement created the longtime nickname, “Lady in Black.”
Former three-time series champion Darrell Waltrip talked of Darlington as if it was alive. “She’s going to get you,” he said. “You just hope it’s not this time.”
Unlike anywhere else, success is completely in the hands of a driver, not an engine builder or engineer with a bank of electronic screens.
“Wow, what a night. Darlington is literally the track that – it is NASCAR,” Bell said. “Like, there is no other track that’s harder to drive, that rewards a talented driver more than Darlington and the Southern 500. This is the epitome of NASCAR, and I’m just super grateful to be here. Yeah, it’s better than a dream come true.”
Bell led four times for a total of 46 laps. In all, 12 of 38 drivers took turns running up front in the 367-lap main event.
JGR teammate Ty Gibbs finished second, followed by Tyler Reddick in third, Ryan Blaney in fourth and Larson in fifth.
NASCAR changed its playoff and championship formats this year, removing elimination rounds and the “win-and-in” guarantee. Points to start the Chase were set by the results of the 26-race “regular” season. The driver with the most collective points during the 10-race Chase will win the championship.
“I love this format because every single point, every single stage matters,” Bell said.
But it matters most in the playoffs. Tony Stewart set the standard for championship timing in 2011. Bell will now try to steer his Toyota along the same route.
PHOTO: Christopher Bell won Sunday’s Cook Out Southern 500 at the famed Darlington Raceway. He said the odd-shaped track and abrasive makes it “the ultimate driver’s race.” (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images-NASCAR).
