TULSA, Okla. (AP) - Christopher Bell won the Chili Bowl for the second consecutive year, taking command after Kyle Larson's engine appeared to fail as the two raced for the lead.
Larson and Bell had the most dominant cars in the 55-lap feature at the Tulsa Expo Center and seemed only to be racing each other Saturday night. As Bell tried to pass Larson with 12 laps remaining, Larson's car started spewing gray smoke and he pulled off the racing surface.
Bell only had to hold off Rico Abreu to make it two consecutive Golden Driller trophies.
Spencer Bayston finished third.
Bell is one of NASCAR's upcoming stars and used his Chili Bowl victory last season to launch a career year. His Chili Bowl victory in 2017 was the first in a season in which he won five races and the championship in NASCAR's Truck Series. He also won a race in the Xfinity Series, and earned a promotion to Joe Gibbs Racing for a full-time ride in NASCAR this year.
More AP Auto Racing: https://racing.ap.org
Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.