Heading into the championship finale weekend for NASCAR's three main touring series at Phoenix Raceway, Bell is looking to win his first career Cup Series Championship.
The two-time Xfinity Series champion from Olive Branch, Mississippi, is set to achieve a milestone start in his 11th full-time season in NASCAR's premier series.
Ryan Blaney passed Aric Almirola for the lead with 22 laps to go and pulled away to win the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville, winning his way into the Championship 4.
The third-generation Blaney from High Point, North Carolina, led 145 of 500 laps and beat runner-up Aric Almirola by nearly nine-tenths of a second to claim his third Cup Series victory of 2023 and secure his first Championship 4 berth.
This weekend the NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series travel to Martinsville Speedway to set the field for the Championship 4 Playoffs. Cup Series winners Kyle Larson (Las Vegas Motor Speedway) and Christopher Bell (Homestead-Miami Speedway) have secured their spot in the Playoffs.
The 2017 NASCAR Truck Series champion from Norman, Oklahoma, led 26 of 267 laps, including the final 15, en route to his second Cup Series victory of 2023 and claim a Championship 4 berth for a second consecutive season.
The 2021 Cup Series champion from Elk Grove, California, led a race-high 133 of 267-scheduled laps and fended off a last-lap charge from Christopher Bell to become the first Playoff contender to clinch a Championship 4 berth.
"I already had my spot in the Round Of 8 sewed up," Byron said, "so I was out there just enjoying a leisurely Sunday drive. But things always get a lot less leisurely once I park the car for a NASCAR inspection."
The 41-year-old Allmendinger from Los Gatos, California, led a race-high 46 of 109 laps and survived four caution and restart attempts before fending off a hard-charging Byron to claim his first Cup victory of the 2023 season at the Charlotte Roval.
