NASCAR at Homestead: Christopher Bell needs playoff magic again, lineup, how to watch

Christopher Bell admitted he was “incredibly sad” last weekend.

A week after notching one of the biggest victories of his Cup career — a walk-off win at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval that kept him in the championship chase and marked the latest milestone in a comeback year for the ages — the driver of the No. 20 Toyota Camry had his day end early through no fault of his own: He was running in the Top 10 when Bubba Wallace, in a retaliatory move, swung into Kyle Larson’s car and sent Larson into Bell at Last Vegas last weekend.

“Just sad and disappointed because we had it in the grasp of our hands,” Bell told reporters on Wednesday. “At least we had a good finish at Vegas well-within reach, and we did everything we needed to do to put ourselves in position to race for a championship in Phoenix.

“You know, it’s gone now, and it’s going to be very, very difficult to get there.”

Bell added that the sadness has since faded.

But the daunting question he’d already answered once sits in front of him again: Can he win his way out?

“I feel more optimistic now that time has passed,” Bell said, “and I feel good about Homestead and competing for a win at Homestead.”

The second race of the NASCAR Cup Series’ Round-of-8 playoffs will take place at Homestead-Miami Speedway at 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday. It’ll feature one driver, Joey Logano, who has already clinched his spot in the title race, and seven others vying for points positioning behind him.

A win by any of the remaining seven moves them on to the Championship 4 — and that’s something Bell, sitting eighth in the playoff standings and buried 23 points below the cutline, admitted he might need.

“Especially after the last round, I haven’t written (the season) off,” Bell said. “And we’re in a much better spot than we were after Texas, or even Talladega... so I don’t think it’s over by any means. But it’s certainly gotten a lot more difficult, and it appears that we’re going to have to win.

“But I do feel a lot better about having the opportunity to win at Martinsville and Homestead than I did at the Roval or Talladega.”

Homestead is another intermediate racetrack, where Bell has shined this season. He has plenty to be confident about: The No. 20 car has notched Top 5 finishes at Pocono, Darlington and both runs at Richmond this season, and his one regular-season win was earned at “The Magic Mile” at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in July.

Other drivers, though, have reason to be confident going into Sunday, too.

Homestead is the only place Chase Briscoe has won in a truck and a car, according to Stewart-Haas Racing, and Briscoe has notched four straight Top 10s heading into Sunday. Denny Hamlin has won a playoff-field-best two playoff races at Homestead-Miami Speedway in his career. Logano won there in 2018.

The racetrack, historically, is a good indicator of who wins it all. Seven times since the dawn of the playoff era (2004), the winner of the Homestead-Miami Speedway playoff race has also won the NASCAR Cup Series championship, most recelty during a run of five in a row: Kevin Harvick in 2014, Kyle Busch in 2015, Jimmie Johnson in 2016, Martin Truex Jr. in 2017, Logano in 2018 and Busch again in 2019.

William Byron will start at the front on Sunday. This is his first pole in 2022, and his first pole in five races at Homestead-Miami Motor Speedway. Bell will start second. Chase Elliott will start third. John Hunter Nemechek, who will drive in Bubba Wallace’s stead in the No. 45 car as Wallace serves his NASCAR-mandated suspension, will start fourth.

Corey LaJoie and Ty Dillon were announced as the Cup drivers for the Spire Motorsports for the 2023 season on Tuesday. LaJoie will start 31. Dillon, who is moving on from Petty GMS after this Cup season, will start 30.

Here’s what else you need to know.

How to watch Dixie Vodka 400

• Race: Dixie Vodka 400
• Place: Homestead-Miami Speedway
• Date: Sunday, Oct. 23
• Time: 2:30 p.m. ET
• Purse: $7,342,738
• TV: NBC, 1:30 p.m. ET
• Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
• Distance: 400.5 miles (267 laps)
• Stages: Stage 1 ends on Lap 80, Stage 2 ends on Lap 165, Stage 3 ends on Lap 267

NASCAR race at Homestead starting lineup

Alex Zietlow

The Charlotte Observer

Alex Zietlow writes about the Carolina Panthers and the ways in which sports intersect with life for The Charlotte Observer, where he has been a reporter since August 2022. Zietlow’s work has been honored by the Pro Football Writers Association, the N.C. and S.C. Press Associations, as well as the Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE) group. He’s earned six APSE Top 10 distinctions for his coverage on a variety of topics, from billion-dollar stadium renovations to the small moments of triumph that helped a Panthers kicker defy the steepest odds in sports. Zietlow previously wrote for The Herald in Rock Hill (S.C.) from 2019-22. Support my work with a digital subscription