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Christopher Bells wins Xfinity series' Kansas Lottery 300

 
Published Oct. 21, 2017

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Christopher Bell raced to his first NASCAR Xfinity series victory Saturday, beating dominant Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Erik Jones after they made contact with four laps left in the Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas Speedway.

Bell led for just those four laps, hanging in second behind Jones for much of the race before sliding in front of him shortly before the collision. After watching his teammate control the race for so long, the finish came as a surprise for Bell. "I didn't think winning was a possibility," he said.

Jones had drifted to the top of the track before Bell attempted to slide past him underneath. Bell said after the race that he thought he was clear. Jones disagreed, saying "it's not dirt racing" in a television interview, referencing Bell's dirt-track background.

Jones led 186 laps of the 200 laps and won both of the first two stages. He failed to finish the race.

Bell, a regular in the Truck series, and Jones are not eligible for the Xfinity playoffs.

Pole winner Tyler Reddick finished second. Ryan Blaney was third, followed by playoff drivers and JR Motorsports teammates William Byron and Justin Allgaier. Allgaier collected 11 stage points and took over the top spot in the standings by two points over Byron, who had to start from the rear of the field because of unapproved prerace adjustments to his No. 9 Chevrolet.

Elliott Sadler recovered from a spin in Turn 4 on Lap 76 to finish seventh and is third in the playoff standings, 11 points behind Allgaier. (Full results, 2C)

Formula One: Lewis Hamilton stormed through qualifying to grab the pole for the U.S. Grand Prix, with title rival Sebastian Vettel getting a big push on his final lap to grab second in Austin, Texas. That sets up a duel today as Hamilton chases a fourth career season title. He holds a 59-point lead over Vettel with four races to go.