As far as Bell was concerned, Wallace was having a great race while he himself was struggling. So it caught him off guard when Wallace suddenly started racing him aggressively in the closing laps after his own race had unravelled, and he lost a chance to get into the top-10, thanks to John Hunter Nemechek spinning him in turn 1.
“I just wanted to ask him why he chose to make it difficult on me in that moment. And he told me that he was super frustrated with other things that happened in the race,” Bell said in an interview earlier today, putting the rumours of any lingering bad feelings to rest once and for all.
Now, Bell has even joined forces with Wallace to criticise the All-Star event they’re both part of this weekend. Joining his “I hate it” verdict, Bell has raised similar concerns.
“I don’t love getting it tossed around from different tracks, and especially Dover. Like Dover is just, I don’t think it doesn’t lend itself towards an All-Star Race with it being a long run track,” he said.
“The All-Star Race is kind of like these short bursts of short runs, high aggression. So I, I think we, I would love for it to get established at a track, whether it was back at Charlotte or somewhere else, keep it there, and then change the rules packages, you know, show up with something different every time, have something new. And I think that is a lot of the allure of the All-Star Race.”
NASCAR has really pushed hard to sell the Dover move as a fresh spectacle, with the sanctioning body openly embracing format changes and track president Mike Tatoian promising a memorable weekend experience for fans. “The mid-May dates historically offer great weather in our region, and we are already hard at work on plans to make the entire weekend a special one for our fans,” Tatoian said.
But for many within the garage, the shift has stripped away the energy that made North Wilkesboro special. Since returning as the host of the All-Star Race in 2023, the venue has drawn packed grandstands, with around 35,000 fans attending each year. Concerts and side events around the track gave the weekend a feeling that it was celebrating racing as a whole.
“I just wanted to ask him why he chose to make it difficult on me in that moment and he told me that he was super frustrated with other things that happened in the race.” @CBellRacing clears the air on the pit road conversation with @BubbaWallace at Watkins Glen. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/DIJnxptIi4
— Frontstretch (@Frontstretch) May 16, 2026
Wallace admitted that atmosphere does not exist at the Dover Speedway, saying, “And so I’m having to tell myself that this weekend doesn’t really matter.”
“Let’s just go out and try new things, different things, I don’t know. It’s just like, blah, and I hate that. I hate that for the sport, I hate that for the fans. We need to have some fun interaction, like All-Star-type vibes. We just don’t get that here, unfortunately,” he added.
Regardless, he still has to go out and compete, and he has done a fairly solid job of that so far. Wallace secured a seventh-place starting spot in qualifying, while Bell will start 18th, which should make for an interesting race on Sunday. If anything, one can expect a comeback drive from the defending champ.
Can Christopher Bell go home with another $1 million?
The All-Star event looks very different this year. Unlike the 2025 edition, all 36 cars will compete in two 75-lap segments before the field is cut down to 26 drivers for a final 200-lap sprint.
But last year, in an exhibition-style short-track race, Bell outdueled Joey Logano in the closing laps to secure his first All-Star victory and walk away with the $1 million prize. The win came after a dramatic late race strategy call, with a fresh tire helping him charge through the field before making the decisive move for the lead with just 9 laps remaining.
It was North Wilkesboro, yes. But Bell has had solid runs at Dover before, including two top-10 finishes, and knows how to navigate the challenges of the Monster Mile.
The No. 20 driver’s ability to manage tire wear and long green-flag runs has often made him a threat at Dover, which is exactly why many inside the garage should view him as a contender. But can Bell recreate the 2025 magic this year? The answer may come down to whether Dover can create the same late-race intensity and aggressive restarts that made North Wilkesboro’s All-Star format so chaotic.
If the race turns into a battle of tire management and late-race execution, Bell immediately becomes one of the favourites. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver currently sits 11th in the standings, just one spot behind Wallace and still comfortably inside the playoff picture.
