Christopher Bell Wins Homestead-Miami, Locks into the Championship 4 with Larson

22 October 2023
By Bob Francis, Managing Editor
Go Full Throttle Racing News

HOMESTEAD, FL — Christopher Bell drives to victory Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway in race 2 of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Round of 8, advancing to the Championship 4. It was a flashback to last year when Bell scored a win at Martinsville to advance- another clutch win in the NASCAR Playoffs for Bell and Joe Gibbs Racing.

HOMESTEAD, FLORIDA — OCTOBER 22: Christopher Bell, driver of the #20 Rheem/Watts Toyota, takes the checkered flag to win the NASCAR Cup Series 4EVER 400 Presented by Mobil 1 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on October 22, 2023 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

UPDATED NASCAR CUP SERIES PLAYOFF GRID

Updated NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Grid after Round of 8 race 2 at Homestead-Miami (Image Credit: nascar.com)

UPDATED GFT NASCAR AI DRIVER RANKINGS after Homestead-Miami

Updated GFT NASCAR AI Driver Rankings after the 4EVER 400 at Homestead-Miami (Image Credit: GFT Digital)

Ranking Analysis
With the win, Bell joins Kyle Larson as locked into the Championship 4, but our algorithms are weighted toward wins, of which Larson has 4. Also driving the reset in our data analysis is that Larson also led a ton of laps before his crash in the 4EVER 400 here at Homestead-Miami, thus his 34th place finish didn’t change his P1 ranking and prediction that Larson will win the 2023 NASCAR Cup Championship.

Bell moves up 3 spots to P2, with William Byron P3, and Ryan Blaney P4 after his strong 2nd place run Sunday. Below the Playoff Cut Line is Tyler Reddick at -10, Truex at -17, Hamlin also at -17, and Buscher back at -43.

But this is the magic of Martinsville as the decider race to determine which 2 drivers join Larson and Bell in the Championship 4 to race in Phoenix for the 2023 title. Byron and Blaney are the favorites, but the three Toyota drivers (Reddick, Truex, Hamlin) all have shown speed and can race Martinsville for the win.

Updated GFT NASCAR Manufacturer Box Scores after Homestead-Miami

Manufacturer Wins:
Chevrolet = 19
Toyota = 11
Ford = 9

Wins by Team:

Decision Time: Martinsville Speedway ready to set the NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4

Time has come to decide who will make the Championship 4 Round, and the historic 0.526-mile Martinsville Speedway will once again play host to the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs’ Round of 8 elimination race, the Xfinity 500 on Sunday, October 29 at 2 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.