NASCAR: Christopher Bell wins first career Xfinity Series race

Christopher Bell bumped his way past Erik Jones in the final laps to take his first career NASCAR Xfinity Series win at Kansas Speedway for Joe Gibbs Racing.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series has seen a slew of first-time winners in the 2017 season, with two of them coming in back-to-back races. Tyler Reddick started the streak, winning the standalone series event at Kentucky Speedway.

Then it was Alex Bowman’s turn, driving for the same team at Reddick at Charlotte Motor Speedway. On Saturday at Kansas Speedway, the streak was extended by Christopher Bell, winning for the first time with Joe Gibbs Racing in the Kansas Lottery 300.

Bell, driving the #18 Toyota, barely snagged the win away from his teammate Erik Jones in the final laps. Bell slid up in front of Jones in turn 4 with three laps to go, leading to Jones running into his rear end. The #20 Toyota of Jones would be too severely damaged to continue, finishing 15th and one lap down. Bell would go on to win, holding off polesitter Tyler Reddick for the victory.

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This is Christopher Bell’s first career Xfinity series win, ahead of his first full-time season in the series to come in 2018. He is currently also the favorite to win the championship in the Camping World Truck Series, which is in its second round of the playoffs.

Speaking of the playoffs, it was a day to forget for two of the eight remaining championship contenders for the Xfinity Series. Daniel Hemric and Cole Custer were the two lowest finishing drivers in the hunt for the title, in 18th and 19th respectively. This shuffles both drivers outside of the top four heading into Texas, with only two races to decide who races for the title in Homestead.

Here are the full race results from the Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas Speedway (playoff drivers in italics):

Christopher Bell, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
Tyler Reddick, Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing
Ryan Blaney, Ford, Team Penske
William Byron, Chevrolet, JR Motorsports
Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, JR Motorsports
Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
Elliott Sadler, Chevrolet, JR Motorsports
Matt Tifft, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
Ryan Reed, Ford, Roush-Fenway Racing
Brandon Jones, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
Brennan Poole, Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing
Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
Michael Annett, Chevrolet, JR Motorsports
Erik Jones, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
Dylan Lupton, Toyota, JGL Racing
Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, JD Motorsports
Daniel Hemric, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
Cole Custer, Ford, Stewart-Haas Racing
JJ Yeley, Toyota, TriStar Motorsports
Spencer Gallagher, Chevrolet, GMS Racing
Quin Houff, Chevrolet, Precision Performance Motorsports
Blake Koch, Chevrolet, Kaulig Racing
Harrison Rhodes, Chevrolet, JD Motorsports
Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, Jeremy Clements Racing
Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, RSS Racing
David Starr, Chevrolet, B.J. McLeod Motorsports
Garrett Smithley, Chevrolet, JD Motorsports
Mario Gosselin, Chevrolet, King Autosport
Joey Gase, Chevrolet, Means Motorsports
Bobby Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet, MBM Racing
B.J. McLeod, Chevrolet, B.J. McLeod Motorsports
Spencer Boyd, Chevrolet, SS-Green Light Racing
Josh Berry, Toyota, Premium Motorsports
Jennifer Jo Cobb, Chevrolet, B.J. McLeod Motorsports
Timmy Hill, Dodge, MBM Racing
Morgan Shepherd, Chevrolet, Shepherd Racing Ventures
Reed Sorenson, Chevrolet, JD Motorsports
Gray Gaulding, Chevrolet, RSS Racing
Jeff Green, Chevrolet, RSS Racing

Next: Three Big Reasons That Make Racing A Sport

The next race for the NASCAR Xfinity Series comes from the Texas Motor Speedway, the second race of three in the Round of 8. Who will win in the Lone Star State? Tune in for coverage of the O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge on Saturday, November 3 at 8:30 pm eastern on NBCSN.

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