Christopher Bell won tonight’s NASCAR Xfinity Series playoff opener at Richmond Raceway.
Bell took over the lead from Matt Tifft on a late-race restart with 14 laps remaining.
Rounding out the top five were Ross Chastain in second, Daniel Hemric in third, Dale Earnhardt Jr. in fourth and Matt Tifft in fifth.
Tonight marks the fifth win for NASCAR Xfinity Series rookie Christopher Bell and his first win in seven races. Bell also won at Richmond earlier this year.
“It’s not very often that you get to win with a car that’s not a winning car, we’ll take it,” Christopher Bell told NBCSN. “Man, I’m just pumped.”
Dale Earnhardt Jr., who made his first NASCAR start since his retirement from full-time competition at the end of 2017, led a race-high 96 laps and won Stage 2.
Elliott Sadler who made his final start at his home track finished sixth.
Regular-season champion Justin Allgaier’s night came to an end with 24 laps to go after Cole Custer got loose underneath Allgaier in Turn 3, causing the NO. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet to hit the wall. Allgaier finished 32nd, the lowest of the playoff drivers and Cole Custer would go on to finish 15th.
The NASCAR Xfinity Series will head to Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval next Saturday for the Drive for the Cure 200 at 3:00 p.m. Eastern on NBCSN.
Stage 1 Winner: Daniel Hemric
Stage 2 Winner: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Race Winner: Christopher Bell
About Me: Hi, my name is Matthew I'm 17 from Charlotte, NC. Racing has been something that has interested me my whole life. As a kid my dad would always take me to each of the Charlotte races and the adrenaline you get watching NASCAR's best drivers go around is one like no other. My goal as a writer is to give you the best information possible.
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