Kevin Harvick seconds NASCAR's decision to penalize Christopher Bell's controversial Martinsville move
Retired Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick felt NASCAR made the right decision in penalizing Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell for his last-lap move this past Sunday at the Martinsville Speedway. The driver of #20 put his car up against the wall on turn four coming to the checkered flag and used it to gain more speed, similar to Ross Chastain's "Hail Melon" move at the same track two years prior.
The move was after Bell passed Bubba Wallace for position on turn three, bumping the former above the cut-line to advance to the Championship 4 race by one point over William Byron. However, after much post-race deliberation, NASCAR ruled Bell's wall ride maneuver was a safety violation, and he was subsequently penalized and eliminated from the playoffs.
The rule was put into place after Chastain rode the wall at Martinsville in 2022, a move that helped him advance to the Championship 4 that year. During an episode of the Happy Hour Podcast, Harvick discussed how drivers believed the rule needed to be put in place to ensure the safety of drivers and fans.
"It was overwhelmingly with the drivers and NASCAR that it needed to be that way and not be able to be ultilized," Harvick said.
The 2014 champion believes Bell didn't need the wall to keep Wallace's #23 23XI Racing behind him. Unfortunately for the Oklahoma native, Harvick said the driver probably wasn't aware of his surroundings, saying:
"I think in that scenario, he [Christopher Bell] didn't really need to ride the wall. All he had to do was just wait to get the car back down the racetrack, but he doesn't know who's around him, how much time he's lost, and I think he just floored it and rode the wall."
NASCAR has had to make tough decisions with controversies in the past. However, Harvick believes the sport can rest assured that penalizing Bell was the right move.
"In the end, I think that was probably the easiest call that NASCAR's going to make."
Christopher Bell commented on the penalty following the Martinsville race
A dejected Christopher Bell maintained composure following a tough end to Sunday's 500-lap race that saw him get eliminated from championship contention.
"I don't know what to say. I didn't advance my position into the wall, I lost time on the racetrack but it's not meant to be and that's fine... it just wasn't meant to be today and it wasn't meant to be this year," Christopher Bell said in an interview via Dirty Mo Media.
Bell was tight-lipped when asked if he felt the penalty was justified, saying:
"I'm going to keep my mouth shut."
William Byron went on to advance to the Championship 4 race by virtue of points. He joins Joey Logano, Tyler Reddick, and Ryan Blaney as the four drivers who will compete for the Cup Series championship this Sunday at the Phoenix Raceway.