NASCAR Cup Series

Bell rallies late to win NASCAR Xfinity race at Kentucky

Published Jul. 13, 2018 11:20 p.m. ET

SPARTA, Ky. (AP) Christopher Bell passed Justin Allgaier with 17 laps remaining and held off Daniel Hemric to win the 300-mile NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Kentucky Speedway on Friday night.

Bell, who started from the back of the field after spinning his No. 20 Toyota during qualifying, earned his second victory this season and third of his career. Cup Series regular Kyle Busch (Toyota) led a race-high 111 laps and won the first stage but finished third. Allgaier was fourth in a Chevrolet and pole winner Cole Custer (Ford) fifth. John Hunter Nemechek won the second stage but finished seventh in a Chevrolet.

Allgaier led Bell by eight car lengths late and seemed in control before Bell and Hemric both got past him. Hemric closed the gap some but couldn't catch Bell, the 2017 Truck Series champion. The Xfinity rookie weaved through lapped traffic and went on to earn his first Kentucky victory by .848 seconds.

Hemric and Elliott Sadler hold a three-point series lead on Custer.

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