Bell Claims Dramatic Overtime Victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway

Christopher Bell secured his 10th career NASCAR Cup Series win in a thrilling overtime finish at Sunday’s Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Bell, who started from 32nd position, made a decisive move on the final restart to surge past Kyle Larson on the outside line, leading when a caution flag flew on the last lap to seal his victory.

Carson Hocevar and Kyle Larson rounded out the podium, finishing second and third respectively. The race culminated in overtime following a late incident between Austin Cindric and Larson while battling for the lead. Larson later took responsibility for the contact that sent Cindric into the wall and collected William Byron.

“That right there is what you dream of, to be able to restart on the first or second row in a green/white/checkered in a speedway,” Bell said after the race. Despite his historically mixed results at superspeedways, Bell credited his team for improving his car throughout the race, enabling him to compete for the win.

The event’s second half saw increased action after a relatively calm opening stage. Notable incidents included a multi-car crash involving last year’s winner Daniel Suarez and Ty Gibbs, as well as an earlier accident that took out Chase Elliott and Brad Keselowski before the end of stage two.

The NASCAR Cup Series now heads to Circuit of the Americas for the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix on March 2, where drivers will face their first road course challenge of the season.

Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images

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