ALLEN GREGORY | BRISTOL HERALD COURIER

BRISTOL, Tenn. — Saturday’s Bass Pro Shops Night Race developed into a classic episode of old school racing.

One of NASCAR’s brightest students passed the test at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Fifth-year Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell, 30, emerged from a three hour and 48-minute test of survival that continued before midnight.

“I never in a million years that I would get my first Bristol win on a tire fiasco,” Bell said. “I had to be in the right place at the right time, and things just worked out.”

One of the major storylines entering the event involved the introduction of a softer compound for right-side tires. The goal was to create a more compelling drama.

But with tires destructing after just 40 to 60 laps, the event featured 36 lead ch

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