alpinestars 1-2 as christopher bell savours nascar cup series victory at darlington, south carolina, with ty gibbs second

Christopher Bell won one of NASCAR’s crown-jewel races, the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on Sunday night, and the opener for the 10-race championship Chase playoff. 

Bell finished ahead of teammate Ty Gibbs in second place to come away with his first win of 2026, after taking seven runner-up finishes in the regular NASCAR season. 

Chase Briscoe was sixth, also an Alpinestars driver.