Bell remains error-free in NHMS Xfinity race

LOUDON, NH – After a day and a half of rain, the NASCAR Xfinity Series cars were able to get up to speed in race conditions at the 2024 SciAps 200. Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell continued his winning streak by taking the win in his fourth Xfinity race at the track in four starts.

After Saturday’s qualifying session was watered down, reigning Xfinity Series champion Cole Custer led the field on rain tires. The race’s original start was delayed due to moderate rain, and NASCAR opted to have teams switch from regular slick tires to grooved tires. Custer led the first ten laps until a competition caution was issued to give teams a chance to switch back to the Goodyear Eagles slick tires. By pit road, the rain tires were noticeably worn.

Austin Hill had an incredible start to the race, moving from 13th to 2nd on wet tires before taking the lead from pit road. Custer was able to retake the lead on the lap 18 restart. As the track continued to dry, two yellow flags for spins towards the end of the first stage shook up the order. JR Motorsports teammates Sam Mayer and Sammy Smith found themselves in the lead, with Mayer first to the green-white checkered flag on lap 45.

Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Justin Bonsignore (who won the Whelen Modified Tour race earlier in the day) and Christopher Bell led the field at the start of stage two, with Bell taking the lead in turn two and never looking back. The yellow flag did not drop in the stage, as Bell crossed the finish line first on lap 90.

The end of the second stage was marked by an incredible battle for twelfth place. Jessie Love, Sam Mayer and AJ Allmendinger fought a close duel, closely followed by Riley Herbst and Carson Kvapil.

Herbst and Mayer engaged in an even more intense battle with 60 laps to go in the 200-lap race. The two had feuded the week before in Iowa and were back on track in Loudon. Herbst worked his way up to sixth as Corey Heim, Mayer and Smith fought their way back past them. In the battle for eighth place on lap 147, Herbst worked his way past Mayer on the inside and made contact while passing him. Mayer regained the position two laps later, just before the green flag pit stops began on lap 150.

Just as Carson Kvapil pitted and Cole Custer regained the lead on lap 168, the first of five race-ending caution periods occurred when Armani Williams spun out on the backstretch. The timing of the caution period allowed Jesse Love to take the lead, with Kvapil moving into second and Custer third after the pit stop.

The restart on lap 182 saw the worst accident of the race, when Justin Bonsignore and Sam Mayer made contact at Turn 2, sending both cars spinning. Austin Hill and Shane van Gisbergen were also hit, with Hill’s car sustaining the most damage in the accident.

Two more late cautions led to an overtime finish with Bell, Custer and Sheldon Creed battling for the win. Custer came out of turn four in the lead heading to the white flag while Creed faced the inside in second place. At that moment, Bell fell even further back on the track as the three leading cars crossed the finish line three abreast and began the final lap.

Bell took the lead for the final time in turns one and two when Creed’s car swerved under throttle and Custer made light contact with him. This is Creed’s 10th career second-place finish, tying him with NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Jarrett for the most races without a win in Xfinity Series history.

Two other notable drivers in the SciAps 200 were rookie Carson Kvapil, who finished fifth after his last start, and Matt DiBenedetto, who was disqualified for having three loose lug nuts at the end of the race. DiBenedetto was originally classified 17th.

Listen to the statements of the top three finishers above.