The Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on September 13, 2025, delivered another chapter of high-stakes drama in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, with Christopher Bell emerging victorious after a heart-pounding final lap showdown against Brad Keselowski. Bell, driving the No. 20 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, held off a hard-charging Keselowski, who attempted a classic Bristol bump-and-run maneuver in a bid to snag his first win of the season. The contact, which saw Keselowski’s No. 6 Ford nudge Bell’s rear bumper entering the final corner, sparked immediate debate among fans and insiders alike, dividing opinions on whether it was aggressive racing or a step too far.
Bell, who led only the final four laps after surging from fifth on a late restart, crossed the finish line 0.343 seconds ahead of Keselowski, securing his fourth victory of the year and completing a Round of 16 sweep for JGR. The race, marred by a season-high 14 cautions for 137 laps, was defined by tire wear issues from the softer right-side Goodyear compounds, which forced unexpected green-flag stops and strategic gambles. A late incident involving Bubba Wallace and Cole Custer triggered the final caution, setting up the split strategy that put Bell on fresh rubber while others like Zane Smith and Carson Hocevar stayed out.
Post-race, Keselowski was candid about his frustration, lamenting his choice of the top lane for the decisive restart. “Just the story of our season, a 50/50 shot on the restart, and I got the lane that couldn’t launch,” Keselowski told NBC Sports’ Trevor Bayne. “We had a great car, great strategy… on that last restart, we just rolled the dice and didn’t get anything good.” Regarding the contact, he added, “I gave him a shot, but it didn’t do anything.” Bell, meanwhile, admitted to nerves but praised his team’s preparation. “I was nervous on the twos… whenever Brad picked the top, it didn’t give me an option. I had to pick the bottom,” Bell said. “Old tires pushed up in the middle, so I hoped they’d slide, and they did.”
NASCAR insiders wasted no time weighing in, with reactions flooding social media and airwaves. Jeff Gluck, a prominent NASCAR journalist for The Athletic, called the move aggressive: “I thought he nailed him. He hit him pretty hard. We talk about Christopher Bell being a clean driver… He wouldn’t have roughed up somebody for a win, even if it was Bristol.”<grok:render card_id=”8bde08″ card_type=”citation_card” type=”render_inline_citation”> 6</grok:render> Gluck’s take highlighted the contrast between Bell’s reputation for fair play and Keselowski’s all-out effort at the short track known for its unforgiving walls and door-to-door action. Bob Pockrass of Fox Sports echoed the sentiment on X, noting, “Bristol brings out the beast in everyone—Keselowski’s bump was vintage concrete chaos, but Bell drove like a champ to hold on.”<grok:render card_id=”caaf63″ card_type=”citation_card” type=”render_inline_citation”> 9</grok:render>
Other voices in the paddock offered mixed views. Denny Hamlin, Bell’s JGR teammate who finished 31st after a wheel issue, defended the intensity: “That’s Bristol, baby. You race hard or go home. Brad did what he had to; Chris earned the W.” Veteran driver Joey Logano, who rounded out the top five, told reporters, “I saw it live—contact was there, but no harm done. Playoffs demand that fire.” However, some critics, including former champion Kyle Busch, tweeted skepticism: “Bump-and-run is part of short-track racing, but that looked intentional. Good thing Bell’s car stuck.”<grok:render card_id=”a7c923″ card_type=”citation_card” type=”render_inline_citation”> 10</grok:render> Social media buzzed with #BristolBump trending, fans split between “Keselowski robbed!” and “Bell’s a warrior!”
The incident also had playoff implications, advancing Bell to the Round of 12 while eliminating Alex Bowman, Shane van Gisbergen, Austin Dillon, and Josh Berry. Zane Smith impressed with a career-best third place, and Ty Gibbs, despite leading 201 laps, settled for 10th after pit woes. As the series heads to Kansas, insiders like Gluck predict lingering tension: “This could simmer into their next run-in.”<grok:render card_id=”cdff86″ card_type=”citation_card” type=”render_inline_citation”> 6</grok:render> For Keselowski, winless in 51 races, the close call stings, but it reaffirms his team’s resurgence. In NASCAR’s theater of the absurd, Bristol’s short track magic once again proved why it’s the ultimate test of nerve and grit.
