NASCAR at Charlotte results: Christopher Bell wins his way into Round of 8 at Bank of America Roval 400

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David Suggs
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• 14 min read

Christopher Bell's NASCAR Cup Series playoff chances seemed dead and buried entering Sunday's race at Charlotte Motor Speedway's Roval. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver sat toward the foot of the playoff standings.

He needed a win to advance to the Round of 8. He got just that.

It wasn't easy. The race was fairly clean, staying green for more than 50 laps — a course record at Charlotte. That made things difficult for Bell, who trailed Chase Elliott, AJ Allmendinger and Tyler Reddick at different points.

But a late caution flag gave Bell new life. A gutsy pit stop gave him new tires and an impressive restart took him to second place, a second behind Kevin Harvick.

Then another caution flag waved, this time for debris on the track. A lengthy stoppage followed. Bell suddenly was in prime position to overtake Harvick on the restart. With a little less than two laps to go, Bell had the edge.

While Bell was crossing the finish line, there was another competition taking place at the other end of the postseason standings. Kyle Larson seemed to be in good shape after the opening two stages, in which he grabbed needed stage points. But the reigning Cup Series champion was dealt an ugly hand in the final stage. His car succumbed to mechanical issues, dropping him all the way to 35th place.

That was just the window Chase Briscoe needed. The Stewart-Haas driver nabbed ninth place in the race to seal a place in the Round of 8 — two points ahead of Larson.

MORE: Watch NASCAR Cup Series races live with fuboTV (free trial)

It was a day that started calmly and ended with fireworks. And The Sporting News tracked all of it. Below are the live updates, results and highlights from Sunday's wild race at Charlotte.

NASCAR at Charlotte live updates, results, highlights

(All times Eastern)

5:32 p.m.: Briscoe takes ninth place! That will move him to the Round of 8 and end the playoff dreams for reigning champion Kyle Larson! What a race!

5:31 p.m.: Christopher Bell wins at the Roval! He's into the Round of 8!

5:30 p.m.: Briscoe has a two point edge over Larson for the eighth spot!

5:29 p.m.: Cindric spins out! It's between Briscoe and Larson for the eight spot!

5:28 p.m.: We're back underway at Charlotte! Bell has the lead! That puts Larson just one point above the cut line.

5:26 p.m.: Red flag has been lifted. Some cars are pitting. We're in overtime now! Two laps to go and playoff places still up for grabs.

5:19 p.m.: Red flag waved for debris! What a race this has been!

5:12 p.m.: CAUTION! A yellow flag is waved after Ty Dillon's No. 42 collides with the wall. Bell and Harvick are going to be at the front for the race restart! Unbelievable stuff happening in Charlotte!

5:11 p.m.: Bell gets past Reddick for second place! He's a second off of first place Kevin Harvick! Can Bell grab the checkered flag and get an automatic spot in the Round of 8?

5:10 p.m.: Bell's in third place. He's got new wheels and it surging up the field fast. Two laps to go!

5:09 p.m.: Three laps to go! Cindric and Briscoe are above Larson in the postseason standings at the moment.

5:04 p.m.: Austin Cindric in a very interesting situation. He's eight points off Briscoe for the final spot in the Round of 8. Cindric could be headed to pit road? He's in 20th place, but could make a climb up the standings with some fresh wheels. Decisions, decisions...

5:03 p.m.: CAUTION! A caution flag is waved after part of the wall ends up in the middle of the track. This could make a real big difference on the final playoff standings.

5:02 p.m.: Larson back on the track. Looks like he'll still have a chance of meeting the speed minimum. The stage points he earned earlier today have just got him in the Round of 8.

4:56 p.m.: Kyle Larson getting some serious work done on his car in pit road. He's down to 31st in the standings. The reigning Cup Series champion might have just enough to get over the line. But it's going to be super close.

4:55 p.m.: Contact made between Lajoie and Suarez! Looks like little retaliation from Lajoie. That's only going to hurt Suarez's playoff chances.

4:54 p.m.: Allmendinger has gained a second on Elliott. He's had a very smooth race so far, but Elliott still in good shape.

4:47 p.m.: Elliott in a good spot with 15 laps left. Nearly five seconds in front of second-place AJ Allmendinger.

4:35 p.m.: Chastain collided with the wall, causing him some issues. He's headed to pit road. Lost some serious speed over the past lap or so, prompting concerns over whether Chastain (17 points up above the cut line) can advance to the Round of 8.

4:33 p.m.: Suarez is on his way to the pits. Looks like his team is lifting the hood up and putting some fluid in it with the hope of improving his prospects.

4:27 p.m.: Elliott has a comfortable 4.5 second lead over Erik Jones' No. 43 car. However, even more interestingly, Suarez is looking in terrible shape. His power steering issues are causing real issues — as of now, he's out of the postseason.

4:22 p.m.: Allmendinger is on his way to pit road. He waited a mighty long time to get his car looked at. Chase Elliott, one of the best road racers in NASCAR, holds the keys to take the checkered flag at Charlotte now.

4:19 p.m.: Briscoe headed to pit road. Trying to get himself as ready as possible for the remaining 35 laps. He is praying that a caution flag isn't waved in this final stage.

4:14 p.m.: Briscoe is over the cut line at the moment! Suarez has dropped all the way to 36 due to his power-steering problems. Lots of pressure on Briscoe, who currently sits in 17th place.

4:07 p.m.: Suarez now two points above the cut line. It's looking very precarious. He's using a lot of force to steer his car through the chicane.

4:05 p.m.: Daniel Suarez in big trouble at the moment. Looks like his power steering is jacked up after making contact with Lajoie. He's five points above the cut line but dropping like a stone. With 45 laps to go, Suarez is on the brink of losing his spot in the Round of 8.

4:04 p.m.: Conor Daly headed to pit road. Looks like he's having some sort of electrical problem beneath the dashboard. His day might be done.

3:58 p.m.: Reddick and Allmendinger setting the pace with 51 laps left. Solid showing by the two non-playoff drivers.

3:54 p.m.: Lots of contact on Lap 54. Chase Briscoe made some contact with other cars as they all made their way across the chicane. Looks like he's having some issues with his handling after the collision. 

3:41 p.m.: And it's Chastain who notches the stage win! He captured the checkered flag at  COTA earlier in the year. Now, he's got a stage victory on another road course.

3:39 p.m.: Chastain making a late dash for the stage. Could be an interesting finish here...

3:36 p.m.: A slew of drivers are headed to pit road, including postseason competitor Christopher Bell. Lots to consider, but it looks like it's Allmindinger's stage to lose at the moment.

3:32 p.m.: Lajoie taking his sweet time around the track. He's in front of the likes of Byron, but his slower pace (he had to take a complete stop after missing the chicane) could cause some issues for those in need of points.

3:25 p.m.: Noah Gragson and Corey Lajoie getting into a bit of a scuffle around the chicane. Nothing too crazy, just a bit of a chippy affair after they bumped into each other. Neither racer giving an inch.

3:23 p.m.: Reddick still making a good account for himself. Looks like he and his team are aiming for one more victory before the end of the season. That would give him a great springboard for his 2023 campaign with 23XI Racing.

3:18 p.m.: Through 10 laps of Stage 2, the race leaderboard is flipped. Looks like those who opted for pitting earlier in Stage 1 hold positive positions, while those who waited until the stage break are languishing in the standings. If there's no caution flags on Stage 2, expect things to remain fairly similar at the moment.

3:14 p.m.: Allmendinger snags the lead from Reddick on Lap 31. A decent play by the part-time Cup Series racer, who then blocks Reddick off from getting a draft on the straightaway. Allmendinger is gathering some excitement for next season; he'll drive the No. 16 car for Kaulig Racing in 2023.

3:12 p.m.: It's a trio of non-playoff drivers leading the way after six laps of Stage 2. Reddick, AJ Allmendinger and Justin Haley feature in the top three early.

2:59 p.m.: And it's Logano who gets the stage win! Wire-to-wire dominance by the Team Penske driver.

2:58 p.m.: Byron trying to make a run for first but it looks like Logano has it. He's led all 24 laps today and has about a .75 second lead over Byron.

2:57 p.m.: Hamlin has launched himself into eighth place. He's in solid spot to snag a playoff berth.

2:55 p.m.: Looks like those who desperately need stage points are staying on the track. However, non-playoff drivers and those so far out of the top-8 place race that they need a win or high finish (e.g., Christopher Bell) are headed to pit road. Could be a lot of reshuffling in the last two laps of Stage 1.

2:54 p.m.: Michael McDowell passes Justin Haley for ninth place. Looks like he's pushing for Cindric's spot in No. 8.

2:53 p.m.: Ross Chastain to pit road. Only five laps to go, but looks like his team is banking on Chastain making back the difference on some playoff drivers (Denny Hamlin, Chase Briscoe) after they pit following the end of Stage 1.

2:49 p.m.: The current top five features four playoff drivers, with Tyler Reddick the lone non-playoff driver in a top-five slot. Lots of race left, but only six laps left in Stage 1.

2:46 p.m.: Chase Elliott competing with Austin Cindric in the No. 7 position. Cindric is fighting for his playoff life, so stage points would be crucial at the moment.

Eight laps left in Stage 1.

2:38 p.m.: William Byron less than a second behind Logano. He's in a much more favorable position after seeing his 25 point penalty rescinded. However, I'm sure the Hendricks Motorsports' driver would love to claim a road race win today.

2:35 p.m.: Eight laps through and Logano still holds the lead. It's been a smooth run for the Team Penske driver, who is in an ideal position to make it to the Round of 8 at the moment.

2:32 p.m.: Wallace headed to pit road to repair some flat spots in his tires. The 23XI Racing driver was in ninth when he started experiencing tire issues.

2:30 p.m.: Bubba Wallace nearly spins out! He missed the chicane and nearly went whirling along the straight away.

2:27 p.m.: Through two laps, Logano holds a 1.23 second edge over Hendrick Motorsports' William Byron. Austin Dillon's No. 3 car missed the chicane on Lap 1, meaning he had to come to a complete stop before going again. It seems he's been given a penalty because he did not reach a complete stop. 

2:25 p.m.: And we're off! Team Penske's Joey Logano setting the pace for today's race!

2:21 p.m.: Kyle Larson's team seems a little concerned about his car. Only 18 points over the cut line. One to watch for today.

What time does the NASCAR race start today?

  • Race: Bank of America Roval 400
  • Date: Sunday, Oct. 9
  • Start time: 2 p.m. ET

The Bank of America Roval 400 is listed to start at 2 p.m. ET, although the green flag is scheduled to wave at 2:25 p.m. ET.

What channel is NASCAR on today?

  • TV channel: NBC (U.S.) | TSN5 (Canada)
  • Live stream: Peacock, fuboTV
  • Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

In the United States, the Cup Series playoffs are on NBC through the end of the postseason. Canadian viewers can find the Bank of America Roval 400 on TSN5.

Rick Allen will lead Sunday's broadcast as the race's lap-by-lap announcer. He'll be joined by NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr., former Cup Series driver Jeff Burton and Daytona 500-winning crew chief Steve Letarte.

Cord-cutters can stream Sunday's race on Peacock or fuboTV, which offers a free trial.

MORE: Who are the Round of 12 playoff drivers?

Starting lineup for Charlotte playoff race

Pos. Driver Car No. Team
1 Joey Logano (P) 22 Team Penske
2 William Byron (P) 24 Hendrick Motorsports
3 Daniel Suarez (P) 99 Trackhouse Racing
4 Tyler Reddick 8 Richard Childress Racing
5 Austin Cindric (P) 2 Team Penske
6 Ryan Blaney (P) 12 Team Penske
7 AJ Allmendinger 16 Kaulig Racing
8 Christopher Bell (P) 20 Joe Gibbs Racing
9 Chase Elliott (P) 9 Hendrick Motorsports
10 Ross Chastain (P) 1 Trackhouse Racing
11 Michael McDowell 34 Front Row Motorsports
12 Cole Custer 41 Stewart-Haas Racing
13 Justin Haley 31 Kaulig Racing
14 Bubba Wallace 45 23XI Racing
15 Austin Dillon 3 Richard Childress Racing
16 Ty Gibbs 23 23XI Racing
17 Chase Briscoe (P) 14 Stewart-Haas Racing
18 Kyle Larson (P) 24 Hendrick Motorsports
19 Martin Truex Jr. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing
20 Kyle Busch 18 Joe Gibbs Racing
21 Chris Buescher 17 RFK Racing
22 Kevin Harvick 4 Stewart-Haas Racing
23 Harrison Burton 21 Wood Brothers Racing
24 Denny Hamlin (P) 11 Joe Gibbs Racing
25 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing
26 Erik Jones 43 Petty GMS Motorsports
27 Joey Hand 15 Rick Ware Racing
28 Ty Dillon 42 Petty GMS Motorsports
29 Noah Gragson (R) 48 Hendrick Motorsports 
30 Corey LaJoie 7 Spire Motorsports
31 Brad Keselowski 6 RFK Racing
32 Todd GIlliland 38 Front Row Motorsports
33 Daniil Kvyat 26 Team Hezeberg
34 Mike Rockenfeller 77 Spire Motorsports
35 JJ Yeley 51 Rick Ware Racing
36 Loris Hezemans 27 Team Hezeberg
37 Aric Almirola 10 Stewart-Haas Racing
38 Josh Williams 78 Live Fast Motorsports
39 Conor Daly 50 TMT Racing

(P) Playoff driver
(R) Replacement for playoff driver Alex Bowman 

Author(s)
David Suggs Photo
David Suggs

David Suggs is a content producer at The Sporting News.