Christopher Bell had a simple plan on how to win races in a year when he has had seven runner-up finishes and no victories. "The same way that we finished second seven times, that’s how we’re going to win in The Chase," he told me Wednesday. He did just that on Sunday night.
He took our tires on a pit stop and outdueled the competition over the final 24 green-flag laps to capture the Southern 500, the first race of the 10-race Chase. Here are my takeaways: 1. Bell's Big First Win Of 2026 Kyle Larson was leading but on older tires.
So Christopher Bell had to be patient and wait for Larson to start struggling before passing him with 12 laps to go. Earning his 14th career victory, he led five other Chase drivers across the line as he was followed by Ty Gibbs, Tyler Reddick, Ryan Blaney, Larson and Chase Briscoe, "There is no other track that's harder to drive, that rewards a talented driver more than Darlington and the Southern 500," Bell said in his post-race news conference. "This is the epitome of NASCAR, and I'm just super grateful to be here.
"It’s better than a dream come true." 2. Denny Hamlin Leads Despite Hiccup Regular-season champion Denny Hamlin broke a toe link in a tight battle with Michael McDowell, and repairs eventually put him a lap down. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver got his lap back late and finished 18th.
By finishing third in each of the stages, he still had a decent 35-point day. He saw his points lead of 25 over Ryan Blaney be cut to 12 over Bell, 16 over Blaney and 24 over Reddick. It's not great, but it could have been much worse.
3. Kyle Larson's Gamble Doesn’t Pay Larson’s gamble to stay out on older tires that had about 10 green-flag laps on them didn’t prove all that great, as he ended up finishing fifth. Only Larson and three other drivers opted not to pit.
"I thought more people would stay out," he said, according to a Chevrolet news release. "I think another two or three people staying out would have helped. "I think, ultimately, they would have got to me.
I was just hoping I could get some laps where I could take care of my tires." 4. William Byron Biggest Points Loser An apparent engine issue ended the night for William Byron, who now sits 16th among all Chase drivers. He's last in the standings and 114 points behind Hamlin.
The Hendrick driver’s Chase might already be over before it really began. The trouble had started laps earlier when he thought something was broken in one of the wheels. "I don’t know if I was blowing up in that process and got oil on my tire or what," he said in a Chevrolet news release.
"We had an eighth- or ninth-place run going, but it was just an unfortunate end to the evening." 4 ½: What’s Next — WWTR Gateway The Cup Series makes its one visit to World Wide Technology Raceway, commonly known as Gateway. It's a 1.25-mile oval on the Illinois side near St. Louis.
This will be one of the tracks where Toyota might not have a distinct advantage. With the new version of The Chase, there are no eliminations, so drivers are keenly aware of the dynamic of a 10-race mini season to determine the champion. "We're off to a great start but no off weeks," Bell said.
"Right back to work next week at Gateway … I still believe that I will have to win more races in The Chase if I want to be the champion."
