Christopher Bell Blamed Power-Steering Failure for 23rd at Las Vegas

NXTbets Pro | Published On: October 8, 2026

Bell’s race

Bell said a catastrophic power-steering failure at Las Vegas Motor Speedway cost him a chance to win the South Point 400, and the problem still left him with a salvageable day. Bell qualified third, then backed that up with a second-place finish in one stage and a third-place run in another before the steering issue turned the race into a battle just to stay on track. He finished 23rd, one lap down, after driving much of the second half without power steering. That kind of result would usually read as a disaster for a contender. In Bell’s case, the stage finishes limited the damage and kept him in the championship picture.

Bell said the failure forced him to wrestle the car in a way that wore down every part of his upper body. He said his shoulders, hands and arms were badly fatigued by the end. He also said his wrist was not the limiting factor. Bell is still recovering from a broken wrist he suffered in June at Michigan, but he made clear that the injury did not drive the trouble at Las Vegas. The car did. Bell’s account was blunt. He said the mechanical issue took away a chance to win and left him fighting a much tougher race than the one he expected.

Bell’s title

The Las Vegas finish left Bell 55 points behind championship leader Kyle Larson with five races remaining, and Bell said that gap puts him in win mode. He said he would have been about 40 points behind Larson without the mechanical issue, a difference that still leaves him short of where he wants to be but closer to the fight. Bell said the points deficit likely means he must win races to have a realistic shot at the title. He also said he likely needs two wins to close the gap. That leaves him with a clear approach for the stretch run. He plans to keep racing aggressively rather than backing off to protect points.

Larson pushed back on Bell’s assessment during Corey LaJoie’s “Stacking Pennies” podcast, calling it “bullshit.” Larson said a driver with “zero percent power assist” on an intermediate track would not be able to keep racing. He later apologized to Bell. The exchange added another layer to a playoff run that already has Bell trying to overcome both a points hole and the physical strain of his injury. Bell’s path stays simple from here. He needs speed, clean runs and wins if he wants to turn one ruined race in Las Vegas into a title charge.