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Christopher Bell’s Daytona 500 Dreams Shattered in Late-Race Carnage, But He Refuses to Blame Anyone

Carl Harrison by Carl Harrison
February 17, 2025
in Motorsports
Reading Time: 4 mins read
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Christopher Bell’s Daytona 500 Dreams Shattered in Late-Race Carnage, But He Refuses to Blame Anyone

Feb 16, 2025; Daytona Beach, Florida, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Christopher Bell (20) walks to the drivers meeting before the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images

Christopher Bell was five laps away from Daytona 500 immortality. The No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota was hooked up beautifully, leading the pack in a race where survival is half the battle. Everything was falling into place for the biggest win of his career.

And then, just like that—Daytona did what Daytona does.

A push from behind sent Bell spinning into the outside wall, setting off a chaotic 10-car wreck that turned Ryan Preece’s car into a terrifying airborne missile. Bell’s shot at the Harley J. Earl Trophy vanished in a cloud of smoke and twisted sheet metal.

But while others, like Kyle Busch and Jeff Gordon, were quick to assign blame—pointing fingers at the aggressive late-race moves of Joey Logano and Cole Custer—Bell took the high road.

“It’s just superspeedway racing,” he said with a shrug, brushing off any suggestion of foul play. No complaints, no finger-pointing—just cold, hard reality.

It was a masterclass in sportsmanship, a rare display of composure in the cutthroat world of NASCAR’s biggest stage.


A Late-Race Disaster Waiting to Happen

Christopher Bell had played a near-perfect race. He started in the middle of the pack, methodically worked his way forward, and positioned himself exactly where he needed to be when it counted.

As the laps ticked down, the intensity ratcheted up. The pack was getting antsy. Aggressive pushes, tight drafting, and desperate moves had become the order of the day. A wreck felt inevitable.

Then came the final shove that changed everything.

Charging down the backstretch, Cole Custer gave Bell just enough of a nudge to break his car’s traction. In a split second, Bell lost control, slammed into the outside wall, and ricocheted back into the pack—right in the path of incoming traffic.

The wreck obliterated 10 cars, including the likes of Kyle Larson, while Ryan Preece endured one of the most violent flips in recent memory. It was a moment that instantly reshaped the race and opened the door for William Byron to escape the madness and steal a second consecutive Daytona 500 victory.


Bell’s Perspective: No Regrets, No Excuses

For most drivers, a gut-wrenching loss like this would lead to post-race fireworks—pointing fingers, venting frustrations, or calling out competitors for reckless driving.

Not Christopher Bell.

Even after coming within five laps of the biggest win of his career, he refused to let anger cloud his judgment.

“You have to be pushing if you want to succeed,” Bell told FOX Sports’ Bob Pockrass. “That’s the name of the game. Nobody did anything wrong. That’s just the way it goes.”

Bell could have ripped into Custer, blasted the nature of superspeedway racing, or bemoaned the cruel fate that snatched victory away from him. Instead, he owned the moment and accepted the brutal reality of Daytona.

“I’m fine,” he said. “I’m as beat down as you’d expect to be when you’re leading the Daytona 500 with five to go and don’t win. But I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything.”


A Lesson in Class, Even in Heartbreak

Christopher Bell’s measured response stands in stark contrast to the usual Daytona fallout. He could have played the blame game. He didn’t.

He could have made excuses. He refused.

Instead, he showed the kind of mentality that makes champions—one that doesn’t dwell on what could’ve been, but instead focuses on the next opportunity.

Christopher Bell may not have won the 2025 Daytona 500, but in the eyes of many, he walked away with something just as valuable: respect.

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