Christopher Bell Dominates Truck Race at Atlanta

HAMPTON, Ga. — Christopher Bell put on clinic in the Truck race, winning all three stages, and held off Matt Crafton on a two-lap run to the finish to take the checkered flag.

The driver of the No. 4 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota led all but 31 laps from the drop of the green flag. He won the first stage and won the second stage, but lost the lead to boss Kyle Busch on pit road under the fifth caution of the race.

He regained the lead with 18 laps to go, fought off Crafton on the final restart and scored the victory in the Active Pest Control 200.

“This place is so much fun, just the slipping and sliding” Crafton said. “That was some of the greatest racing I’ve seen in a long time. Everyone was all over that racetrack and that’s what it’s all about.”

It’s was Bell’s third career victory in 32 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts.

“This was definitely a race I had circled ever since we left here last February,” Bell said. “To come back and be as dominant as we were was really cool for me. It was just a dream weekend ever since we unloaded.”

Johnny Sauter, Ben Rhodes and Chase Elliott rounded out the top-five.  Elliott’s truck failed post-race inspection (too low and missing lug nut).

“It was a very eventful day,” Sauter said. “This has been a tough racetrack for me. I seem to always have trouble. Tonight, we had a miss and I thought, ‘Here we go again.’ But it was a great race.”

Alex Bowman, Austin Dillon, Grant Enfinger, Timothy Peters and Ross Chastain rounded out the top-10.

Noah Gragson and Brett Moffitt brought out the first caution for a two-truck wreck on the first lap and Jordan Anderson tagged the wall with his left-rear exiting Turn 4. The truck went through the frontstretch grass when the splitter dug into the ground and was lifted off the ground.

Busch’s right-front tire went flat and his truck hit the wall with 18 to go. He finished 26th.

The race lasted 1 hour, 50 minutes and 44 seconds at an average speed of 108.477 mph. There were six lead changes among four different drivers and eight cautions for 38 laps.

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The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of SpeedwayMedia.com

Tucker White
Tucker White
I've followed NASCAR for well over 20 years of my life, both as a fan and now as a member of the media. As of 2024, I'm on my ninth season as a traveling NASCAR beat writer. For all its flaws and dumb moments, NASCAR at its best produces some of the best action you'll ever see in the sport of auto racing. Case in point: Kyle Larson's threading the needle pass at Darlington Raceway on May 9, 2021. On used-up tires, racing on a worn surface and an aero package that put his car on the razor's edge of control, Larson demonstrated why he's a generational talent. Those are the stories I want to capture and break down. In addition to NASCAR, I also follow IndyCar and Formula 1. As a native of Knoxville, Tennessee, and a graduate of the University of Tennessee, I'm a diehard Tennessee Volunteers fan (especially in regards to Tennessee football). If covering NASCAR doesn't kill me, down the road, watching Tennessee football will. I'm also a diehard fan of the Atlanta Braves, and I lived long enough to see them win a World Series for the first time since 1995 (when I was just a year old). I've also sworn my fan allegiance to the Nashville Predators, though that's not paid out as much as the Braves. Furthermore, as a massive sports dork, I follow the NFL on a weekly basis. Though it's more out of an obligation than genuine passion (for sports dorks, following the NFL is basically an unwritten rule). Outside of sports, I'm a major cinema buff and a weeb. My favorite film is "Blazing Saddles" and my favorite anime is "Black Lagoon."

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