Bell claims U.S. Cellular 250 win at Iowa Speedway

Winning close races is becoming a habit for rookie Christopher Bell in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. He had to work overtime to accomplish a personal and Xfinity Series milestone on Saturday at Iowa Speedway.

Overcoming three late-race cautions, including a red flag stoppage of the race, Bell, 23, captured his third straight Xfinity Series race win. It was the first win for Bell at Iowa Speedway and his fourth series win this season.

“It’s pretty special,” Bell said of being the first Xfinity Series regular driver to win three in a row since 1999 when Dale Earnhardt Jr. “I guess when it’s your day, it’s your day.”

Racing fans at the 10th annual U.S. Cellular 250 got their money’s worth and then some in the 2018 racing finale for Iowa Speedway. Bell seemed to be cruising to victory after winning battles up front with pole winner Elliott Sadler and Cole Custer early in the race.

With 12 laps remaining, things went sideways, literally.

“I was hoping on that long green-flag run there wouldn’t be another yellow come out, but I was mentally prepared for a late-race yellow,” Bell said. “I just didn’t imagine it coming on my front bumper.”

Bell kept his Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 Toyota from damage when Chase Brisco spun his No. 60 car right in front of him with 14 laps to go. Bell pushed Brisco’s car from out in front of him and stayed in the lead. He maintained the lead on the restart.

But wait there’s more. Garrett Smithley’s spin out drew the fifth caution flag of the race.

“These races are so hard to win. I got snookered on the second restart as Justin took the lead. I guess I was lucky to get snookered enough to be put back in fourth,” Bell said. “I just saw Justin go from fourth to first, so why couldn’t I.”

Justin Allgaier, who out ran Bell to win at Iowa in June, went to the lead on the restart after Smithley’s incident on the track. Allgaier was leading when Matt Tifft and Max Tullman crashed in Turn 1 which resulted in a red flag out. The cars were stopped on the Speedway’s backstretch for 17 minutes while debris was removed.

Bell said he was frustrated at that point knowing he had the race in hand and “blew it, but during the red flag, I knew I had another opportunity.”

And Bell took it, going from fourth to first on the final lap — Lap 257 — to get back the lead from Allgaier.

"(Bell) drove into me and tried to put me into the wall," Allgaier said. "It's disappointing to be in that position, especially when you think you know how somebody is going to race you ... unfortunately that's Iowa. And (Bell) definitely had the best car. No questions asked."

Bell answered that saying he was surprised Allgaier was angry as he didn’t thing he did anything out of the ordinary.

“If I picked him up down the backstretch it was unintentional. I knew I was pushing him but my goal was to separate me and him fort he field. It was about bettering. Both of us not to hinder him. I pride myself in being a clean racer,” Bell said.

When the checkered flag finally flew to bring the curtain down on the Iowa Speedway season, Bell was the winner with Allgaier in second. Kyle Benjamin ran third. Ross Chastain, who started in the 18th position, and John Hunter Nemechek, who started 11th, finished fourth and fifth, respectively.

Sadler, who led 41 laps, placed sixth and Custer, who racked up 104 laps as the race leader, was ninth. Daniel Hemric came into the U.S. Cellular with a six-point lead over Bell finished 11th.

Bell left Newton with the regular-season points lead with 702 and maintained his lead in the Xfinity playoff points standings. Bell won Stage 2 and 3 on Saturday’s race to push his playoff points total to 24. Allgaier has eight playoff points for second on the list.

Sadler is 16 points behind Bell in the regular-season points’ standings and Custer is third at 18 points back. Custer picked up his first playoff point by winning Saturday’s race Stage 1. Hemric dropped to fourth in the points standings.

Next up for the NASCAR Xfinity Series is Watkins Glen International this coming Saturday.

The U.S. Cellular 250 was Iowa Speedway’s final race of the 2018 season. The Xfinity Series along with the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series will open the Speedway’s 2019 season on June 15-16.

More on Saturday’s race can be seen in Monday’s Newton Daily News.