HOMESTEAD, Fla. — Another NASCAR Cup Series championship-altering race was held at Homestead-Miami Speedway, with Christopher Bell securing a spot in the title race in two weeks as calamity struck other championship hopefuls.
It wasn't the championship-deciding race that Homestead was for nearly two decades but events at the track on Sunday directly impacted title contenders in various ways.
Christopher Bell passed William Byron with around 15 laps to go and held on for his second win of 2023. Bell's win secures his spot in the championship race at Phoenix on Nov. 5.
"I was ready to throw in the towel there in the second stage... but [we] kept at it," Bell said to the NBC Sports crew after the race. "This is better than a dream come true."
It was a redeeming result for Bell, who was at the bumper of Las Vegas winner Kyle Larson as the two crossed the finish line.
The top four finishers of Sunday's race were drivers still in contention for a title - Bell, Ryan Blaney, Tyler Reddick, and Byron. The remaining four playoff drivers finished outside of the top 20 with three of them being knocked out of the race after running well.
Larson led a race-high 96 laps and was a definite contender to get his second win in a row but ended his day when he smashed into the tire barrels at the entrance of pit road to avoid contact with Blaney. Larson -- who is already locked into the championship race -- finished in 34th.
Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr., two of the other playoff drivers, ran well and even spent various times leading but both Joe Gibbs Racing drivers suffered mechanical issues within a lap of one another and were forced out of the race. Truex finished 29th and Hamlin finished 30th.
The win locks Bell and Larson into the championship race with just one race remaining before the big event. Byron and Blaney hold the remaining two spots. Blaney is 10 points ahead of Reddick for the final cutoff spot with one race remaining before the championship race at Phoenix. Hamlin and Truex both sit 17 points behind Blaney.
Chris Buescher, the remaining playoff driver, was never in contention and finished 21st. He is 43 points behind Blaney.
Martin Truex Jr. started on the pole but was quickly passed by Byron for the top spot. Larson gained the lead later and won the first stage.
Blaney took the lead from Larson later and won the second stage.
The race ran mostly incident-free until Larson's mishap on pit road. The crash caused a short red flag as crews cleaned the area.
When the race resumed after the red flag, a group further back in the field collided, wrecking out Ross Chastain, John Hunter Nemechek, and J.J. Yeley.
Blaney, Bell, and Byron fought for the lead the rest of the way. Bell lost the lead on pit road during the race's final caution but swarmed back to take the top spot and hold on for the win.
It's the second win of the year for Bell, who also won the Bristol dirt race in April.
The final NASCAR Cup Series race before the 2023 championship race at Phoenix is on Sunday, Oct. 29 at Martinsville Speedway.