Bell has damage in the right front.
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Christopher Bell, driver of the No. 20 Rheem Toyota, during a NASCAR Cup Series race weekend.
FORT WORTH, Texas — The first caution of the day at Texas Motor Speedway brought immediate chaos — and a major hit for one of the race’s early leaders.
On Lap 69, Christopher Bell was sent hard into the wall after contact with Todd Gilliland, ending what had been a dominant run out front for the No. 20 Toyota.
Gilliland spun during the incident, but Bell took the worst of it, slamming the outside wall with significant force as the field scattered behind him.
“Yeah, he’s done,” Kevin Harvick said on the broadcast as Bell’s damaged car came to a stop.
Bell has damage in the right front.
Before the incident, Bell had been one of the fastest cars on track and was leading at the time of the contact.
The contact appeared to originate as Gilliland lost control, clipping Bell and sending the leader into the wall with little chance to recover.
Bell’s car sustained heavy right-front damage in the impact and was forced to the DVP (Damaged Vehicle Policy) area for repairs before ultimately heading to the garage — a major setback for a car that had been in control of the race.
While Bell was able to drive away from the crash, the damage ultimately proved too severe, as the No. 20 team was forced to take the car to the garage — ending his day early.
Bell was later seen heading to the garage area, confirming the team could not complete repairs under the DVP.
Following the incident, Todd Gilliland took responsibility over his team radio, pointing to turbulent air and handling issues leading up to the spin.
“Sorry. Oh my God. It’s just so loose and so rough. 71 just put me in a bad aero spot and I just spun out. I’m super sorry,” Gilliland said.
The radio message provides key context to the crash, suggesting the No. 38 car lost stability in traffic before making contact with Bell.
The Lap 69 incident brought out the first yellow flag of the race, coming with 12 laps remaining in the stage.
Gilliland was able to continue after the spin, but Bell ultimately paid the highest price as the running order was completely reshuffled.
Texas Motor Speedway has already shown its unpredictability early, with tight racing and minimal margin for error — something that proved costly for the race leader.
The wreck adds to what has been a frustrating stretch for Bell, who has shown race-winning speed but continues to be derailed by incidents and bad luck.
With a dominant car early and clear track position, Bell looked poised to contend for the stage win — and potentially the race.
Instead, the No. 20 team is now left trying to salvage what it can after an early setback.
Maggie MacKenzie Maggie MacKenzie covers NASCAR for Heavy.com. She previously worked for NASCAR.com, where she reported, wrote, and edited race-weekend coverage and traveled to key events throughout the season. She has more than ten years of experience in sports media and is based in Boston, Massachusetts. More about Maggie MacKenzie
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