By AMANDA VINCENT
Christopher Bell started the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Chase with a win Sunday night in the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. It was his first win of the season after seven second-place finishes.
“It’s been too damn long,” Bell said. “Oh, my gosh, man, I’m just so, so proud of all of these guys on this No. 20 Mobil 1 Toyota, all the mechanics, all the pit crew members. They deserve it more than anyone. This has been a long time coming. Darlington has been one that I’ve always wanted to win since I got into the sport. This is the ultimate driver’s track. You fans, you guys are the best. That’s why we’re here.”
Joe Gibbs Racing notched a one-two finish with Bell’s teammate, Ty Gibbs, finishing second. Tyler Reddick was third to give Toyota a top-three sweep.
“We had to come from deep because of the metric order,” Gibbs said. “We kind of got hosed, there, but fought hard and worked our way forward from 28th to second. Not what we were thinking was going to happen, but we are really happy and appreciate all of the hard effort from this Monster Energy Toyota team. We just kept fighting hard, and we were second. I really want to win this race. I’ve had some seconds here, so a little frustrating, but congrats to Christopher and the 20 team. Really happy for them.”
Ryan Blaney and Kyle Larson rounded out the top-five.
Larson led a race-high 99 laps of the 367- lap race. Bell beat him off pit road to take the lead during a lap-316 caution for William Byron. That caution was extended for light rain.
Bell, then, lost the lead to JGR teammate Chase Briscoe on lap 332. After another caution and red flag for more light rain a few laps later, Larson retook the lead by staying out while most cars pitted.
Bell took his race-winning lead from Larson on lap 356.
Stage one, scheduled for 115 laps, ended early on lap 107 when a Brad Keselowski spin brought out the second caution of the race. Pole sitter Reddick won the stage with 23XI Racing teammate Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr. in second. Two more Toyota drivers, Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Denny Hamlin and Bell, were third and fourth at stage-end.
Reddick and Hamlin combined to lead most of the opening stage. Daniel Suarez took the lead on lap one, but Hamlin took the position on lap three. Although Reddick started on the pole, he first led on lap 29.
Hamlin retook the lead on lap 45. After a green-flag cycle of pit stops after lap 70, Hamlin cycled back to the lead. Reddick retook the top spot before lap 100.
The first caution was planned. NASCAR threw a competition caution on lap 35, because lightning Saturday resulted in the cancellation of practice and qualifying.
Bell won stage two at lap 230 with Larson in second. Bell took the lead from Briscoe by lap 216.
Reddick gave up the lead to pit during a green-flag cycle of stops on lap 151. Wallace was the new leader when the round of stops completed on lap 155.
Wallace, then, gave up the position to pit during the next round of stops on lap 187. Briscoe cycled to the lead at the completion of that round of stops before lap 205.
Briscoe ran out of fuel at the end of stage two and was penalized for pitting while pit road was closed. Bell and Hamlin suffered slow pit stops.
Larson was first off pit road and Wallace second after the second stage to restart as the top-two for the final stage.
Chase drivers took nine of the top-10 positions of the race finishing order with Briscoe in sixth, Wallace eighth, Joey Logano ninth and Ryan Preece 10th. Josh Berry was the lone non-Chase driver in the top-10 in seventh.
Byron was the worst-finishing Chase driver. He wound up 37th after a blown engine.
