Christopher Bell continued his impressive run at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, completing a weekend sweep by winning Sunday’s weather-affected USA Today 301 NASCAR Cup Series race. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver faced challenging conditions, including a two-hour rain delay and the rare use of wet weather tires, to secure his third Cup Series victory of the season.

The race, which lasted six hours due to weather interruptions, saw Bell lead 149 of the 305 laps. He held off a late charge from Stewart-Haas Racing’s Chase Briscoe, crossing the finish line 1.104 seconds ahead in overtime. Josh Berry finished third, rounding out the podium.

This victory marks Bell’s ninth career Cup Series win and his seventh overall at New Hampshire across NASCAR’s national series. The 29-year-old Oklahoman expressed his excitement about the win, even promising to embrace the traditional lobster trophy in Victory Lane – something he had been hesitant to do in the past.

The race made history as only the second time in NASCAR that wet weather tires were used in a points-paying event. NASCAR officials praised the decision to implement these tires, noting that without them, the race would have been called early due to rain.

The wet conditions shook up the field in the final stage, with some drivers benefiting from the change while others struggled. Notable performances came from Kyle Larson and Chris Buescher, who finished fourth and fifth respectively.

The race also had significant implications for the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff standings. With eight races remaining before the Playoff field is set, there was considerable movement in the lower half of the standings. Joey Logano moved into the final Playoff position based on points, while Bubba Wallace dropped out of contention after a late-race accident.

The NASCAR Cup Series will continue next Sunday with the Ally 400 at Nashville Superspeedway, where drivers will look to build on their performances from New Hampshire.