Christopher David Bell is finally in victory lane in 2026.
The 31-year-old claimed his first win of the Cup Series season in the Cook Out Southern 500 on Sept. 6 at Darlington Raceway in South Carolina.
Bell moved up to second in points behind Chase leader Denny Hamlin and is among five Toyota drivers inside the top six in points.
Here are the winners and losers from the NASCAR Darlington race this week, with three winners and a lone loser.
NASCAR Darlington winners and losers
Winner: Christopher Bell and his title hopes
Bell had seven runner-up finishes in the regular season, leaving a lot of points on the table while settling for the sixth seed in the Chase.
But that points table was cleared and reset following Daytona
as the Chase began, and Bell immediately took advantage by winning the Southern 500 and nearly maxing out on points (73 of 75).
It wasn't easy late. Kyle Larson, with older tires, was steady in the lead and forcing Bell to work hard for the top spot. Bell finally made the pass for the lead with 12 laps to go and pulled away for the victory.
The Oklahoma native is 12 points behind Denny Hamlin for the Chase points lead.
Winner: Tyler Reddick
Tyler Reddick was disappointed after his third-place finish in the Southern 500.
"I really want to win this race bad," he said on USA Network after the race. "I really do."
Reddick, the Darlington spring race winner, will continue to get his chances in the future to claim the crown jewel. But by Monday, he should be able to appreciate a good points day. He earned 46 points, second-most in the event, and claimed a third straight top-10.
The 23XI Racing driver's form is trending up again after a summer to forget, though not quite at the level of his season's start. Reddick goes to Gateway next week fourth in points, 24 points behind Hamlin. The No. 45 will be involved in the title chase through the Homestead finale.
Winner, non-Chase: Josh Berry
Hendersonville native Josh Berry is on the best run of his Cup Series career.
Berry finished seventh at Darlington, spending virtually the entire night inside the top 10 and pushing for a top-five finish before the final caution.
He now has six consecutive top-10 finishes, a mark reached this season by only Ty Gibbs (seven straight top-10s from COTA to Kansas) and Ryan Blaney (eight straight top-10s from Charlotte to the Atlanta summer race).
Gibbs and Blaney are Cup title contenders in the Chase, while Berry's 2027 Cup Series plans are unknown.
Loser: William Byron
William Byron started the Chase already a full race's worth of points behind Hamlin.
And things got worse in the final 100 laps at Darlington. Running inside the top 10, Byron spun on his own through Turns 3 and 4 toward the apron.
Under the ensuing caution, Byron told his team that he was concerned about something being broken in the left rear of the car. And just before the restart, the No. 24 went up in smoke.
It was a curious incident, one he was still trying to get a grasp on after debriefing with Hendrick officials.
Byron told USA Network that the car "blew up," but was unsure of the cause.
The result is that he leaves Darlington with a triple-digit points deficit with nine races to go. Barring a torrid run to Homestead, Byron's title hopes are about over.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: NASCAR Darlington winners, losers as Christopher Bell wins for first time in 2026
