Overview
- Christopher Bell's No. 20 car struck and dragged front-tire changer Blake Houston during a two-tire stop, leaving Houston shaken but uninjured, the team said Sunday.
- NASCAR cited Bell for a safety violation and required him to return to pit road, a penalty that forced extra work and cost track position.
- Bell recovered on track to finish fourth and moved up to fifth in the regular-season standings after the extra stop.
- On the same pit cycle William Byron's crew left a wedge wrench attached to his car, drew a pit-road penalty, and returned to remove the tool.
- Two-tire stops rely on a jack-drop signal and are timing sensitive, and race conditions and a rain delay increased pressure on crews in a way that can both raise safety risks and alter playoff positioning with one regular-season race remaining.