DESPITE VALIANT EFFORT, BELL FAILS TO ADVANCE TO CHAMPIONSHIP 4
Denny Hamlin leads the Toyota contingent after driving from 37th to the top-five
MARTINSVILLE, Va. (November 3, 2024) – Denny Hamlin drove through the field after a practice incident to lead Toyota with a fifth-place finish on Sunday evening at Martinsville Speedway. Despite the strong performance, Hamlin was unable to advance to the Championship 4.
Christopher Bell battled through a pit road issue and was close to advancing to the Championship 4, before being scored 22nd. He missed the Championship 4 by four points.
Toyota continues to be the only manufacturer represented in the Championship 4 every season, as Tyler Reddick will battle for the NASCAR Cup Series Championship for the first time in Phoenix.
Toyota Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Martinsville Speedway
Race 35 of 36 – 267 Laps, 400.5 Miles
TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Ryan Blaney*
2nd, Chase Elliott*
3rd, Kyle Larson*
4th, Austin Cindric*
5th, DENNY HAMLIN
18th, BUBBA WALLACE
19th, ERIK JONES
22nd, CHRISTOPHER BELL
24th, MARTIN TRUEX JR.
31st, JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
32nd, TY GIBBS
34th, TYLER REDDICK
*non-Toyota driver
TOYOTA QUOTES
CHRISTOPHER BELL, No. 20 Mobil 1 Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 22nd
How do you process NASCAR’s decision and just the end of this race?
“It was Martinsville, and it was a round of 8 cutoff race. Unfortunately, I was on the bad side of it. Made a lot of mistakes, ran a sloppy race. It is a shame that it comes down to a ball and strike call like that. You can look at both sides of the fence – the Chevy organization had a lot of blocking going on so that the 24 (William Bryon) didn’t lose positions. I slid into the wall and kept my foot into it. I guess that is a losing move.”
Can you take us to the driver’s seat in that last lap?
“Yeah, I just got loose. I was trying to get by the 23 (Bubba Wallace) and whenever I did, I was kind of pinned in between the 10 (Noah Gragson) and the 23 and slid into the wall. Whenever I slid into the wall, I knew that I had to have that position and just tried to get to the line. I didn’t intentionally floor it and go into the fence; I slipped into the wall and that’s all she wrote.”
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 65 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.
Toyota directly employs nearly 64,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 47 million cars and trucks at our 14 manufacturing plants. In 2025, Toyota’s plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 30 electrified options.
For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.
