Subsequent slider attempts with 25 and 19 laps left failed as well, with Bell suddenly seeming destined to finish as the runner-up this time around.
However, traffic became the ultimate factor in the contest, as Larson and Bell’s rookie Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports teammate Sam Johnson fired a slider against Larson in turns three and four when the No. 1 came up to lap him with 12 to go.
That singular move broke Larson’s momentum and allowed Bell to blast to the bottom, taking a lead that he would never relinquish despite three caution flags inside the final three laps of the feature.
The final yellow came after Bell had taken the white flag, setting up a green-white-checkered finish in which Larson nearly pounced with a last-gasp effort. The Elk Grove, Calif., native railed the high side in turns one and two, getting a run down the backstretch and trying to get under Bell in the third turn.
However, Bell went low to block Larson’s move and though the NASCAR Cup Series star tried to move Bell up the track in the final turn, it wasn’t enough and Larson was forced to settle for second again.
“It’s always fun to race Chris; I’m just getting a little tired of getting beat by him,” Larson lamented with a smile. “I just made a little mistake in traffic, sliding through (turns) three and four to clear a lapper, and he just snuck by me on the bottom. After that, the track really rubbered up on that end.
“We were so equal for the most part … he just seems to be a little better than I am when it counts, and that’s just something I’m going to have to work on,” Larson added. “Every time he beats me, it seems like it’s because of traffic, so I’m just going to have to work on my (race) craft some and get him soon.”
After leading the first 50 laps of the 98-lap contest, Boat faded back to the final step of the podium, followed by Tucker Klaasmeyer and Tyler Courtney.
Polesitter Tanner Carrick, Brady Bacon, rookie of the race Jason McDougal, Jerry Coons Jr. and Justin Grant completed the top 10.
The finish:
Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson, Chad Boat, Tucker Klaasmeyer, Tyler Courtney, Tanner Carrick, Brady Bacon, Jason McDougal, Jerry Coons Jr., Justin Grant, Cole Bodine, Jesse Colwell, Colby Copeland, Robert Dalby, Cody Swanson, Logan Seavey, Spencer Bayston, Michael Faccinto, Shane Golobic, CJ Leary, Ryan Robinson, Rico Abreu, Sam Johnson, Zeb Wise, Tanner Thorson, Robby Josett, Austin Liggett, Carson Garrett, Alex Schutte, Holley Hollan.
