LOUDON, N.H. (AP) — Joe Gibbs has been overseeing Cup cars for Denny Hamlin since 2005, enjoyed a decade with Tony Stewart, and is preparing to replace Martin Truex Jr., who has been with the team for the last six years of his 21-year career. The Hall of Fame football coach and NASCAR team owner knows how to maximize the performance of his top-tier drivers over the long haul. Gibbs appears to have found a potentially enduring contender for the No. 20 Toyota.
Christopher Bell is set for the long haul.
“We can keep him for 20 years,” Gibbs said confidently.
Why not? The 29-year-old driver from Oklahoma has established himself as a legitimate contender for the Cup Series championship this season, following his adept handling of wet conditions at New Hampshire on Sunday to claim his third victory for Joe Gibbs Racing. This achievement matches Kyle Larson, William Byron, and Denny Hamlin for the most wins in the series this season. Bell has consistently won multiple races each of the past three seasons and has achieved 11 top-10 finishes in 18 races in 2024.
If he maintains this level of consistency as NASCAR enters the latter half of the season, Bell could find himself among the final four drivers competing for the championship at Phoenix Raceway.
“I just think Christopher, he’s gifted, and the further he goes, we all just really appreciate it,” Gibbs remarked. “I think he’s a really talented young guy. I’ll tell you, he’s the all-American guy. Sponsors love him. He’s just a kid that everybody loves.”
Even after Bell celebrated with the traditional lobster in victory lane, he couldn’t completely let go of the missed opportunities earlier in the season. He recounted a close call at Circuit of the Americas where he narrowly missed catching Byron over the final laps, and another near win at Richmond. As successful as 2024 has been for Bell and the Gibbs team, he reflects on how it could have been even better.
“Stacking up wins is pretty satisfying, right?” Bell remarked. “It’s been a thrilling ride, and I feel like we’re nearing our peak. I’m excited about what’s ahead, that’s for sure.”
Bell received a boost at New Hampshire—where he clinched victory in the Xfinity Series under the lights—as part of a weekend sweep, aided by severe weather and NASCAR’s decision to finish the race using rain tires.
Previously, Bell might not have clinched the win at New Hampshire—rain had halted the race with 82 laps remaining, and it wouldn’t have resumed without the rain tires, meaning Tyler Reddick would have claimed victory. Following a 2-hour, 15-minute delay and clearing skies, NASCAR opted to use rain tires on an oval for the first time to finish a Cup Series race as scheduled. Due to late crashes and caution flags, New Hampshire even added four extra laps, enabling Bell to secure victory over 86 laps on a damp track.
“They’re just a lot of fun,” Bell admitted. “With the Next Gen car, we lost the ability to slide the car around and run it really loose, but we regain that with rain tires. When the track is damp, you can slide the car around more, hang it out more, drive more on the right rear. It’s a lot of fun doing that for sure.”
Bell, Gibbs, and crew chief Adam Stevens all praised the rain tires.
“I don’t know what to say other than it’s just a knife’s edge,” Bell reflected. “You keep pushing your entries, mid-corner speeds, exits until you find out what the limit is and what’s too much.”
Earlier this season, Bell also triumphed at Phoenix (a potential sign for the championship?) and the rain-shortened Coca-Cola 600 with 151 laps remaining.
He clinched NASCAR’s Truck Series championship in 2017 for JGR and made his Cup debut with Leavine Family Racing in 2020 as part of a Gibbs alliance. When Leavine closed at the end of 2020, Bell officially returned to JGR and replaced Erik Jones. He won on the Daytona road course in 2021 and finished third in the standings in 2022 and fourth last season.
“Christopher has made significant sacrifices on his way up,” Gibbs acknowledged. “He’s raced extensively in dirt and everything. When I first met him, he said, ‘Coach, this is all I can do; I have to succeed in racing.'”
Through 162 career Cup races, Bell has indeed achieved the success he was determined to find in NASCAR.
