A very eventful first pit stop of the race after the completion of Stage 1. Erik Jones was side-tracked by Christopher Bell on pit road. Bell took the win in Stage 1 but then made a crucial mistake. NASCAR is back!
Not only did Erik Jones’ pit crew have to make the stop with the car on its side, he also had to get out of there! The front of the car was pointing directly at the pit wall.
Christopher Bell was also injured by this blow. Let’s see if this ruins the great day in Richmond.
Christopher Bell had already completed his pit stop. As the No. 20 car came out of pit lane, Erik Jones tried to get into his car and was sent around.
Later, Bell told his team over the radio: “Yes, that was more exciting than I expected.” Isn’t that true?
It’s obviously a bad stop for Jones, but his team is struggling to get him into the top 25. For Bell, the consequences could be even more severe if the damage to his front end is more than just superficial.
Richmond brings us the return of NASCAR. It also brings us the debut of these prime and option tires in a points race. This concept was used at North Wilkesboro and is now being used to improve the racing at Richmond.
Christopher Bell beats Erik Jones after victory in Stage 1
The first stage went perfectly for Christopher Bell. He took the lead from his teammate Denny Hamlin and never let go. For many laps, Joe Gibbs Racing held the top three places, with Martin Truex Jr. in third place.
No one started on the red ‘option’ tyres, so it was more or less a normal stage for Richmond. Everyone was on the same tyres and there were no green flag stops as everyone reached the end of the stage without any problems.
The only notable thing about this pit stop was Bell’s run-in with Erik Jones. There were a few riders who had problems or lost places, but the first stage was as clean as you could wish.
There are still many races to go, but for now it’s two races for Christopher Bell and Erik Jones.
