Christopher Bell can’t stop winning. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver reached victory lane for the third consecutive weekend at Phoenix after a last-lap battle with his teammate, Denny Hamlin. In his post-race interview, he spoke about his journey with Toyota to become one of the most dominant drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series.
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Tyler Gibbs, the president of Toyota Racing Development U.S.A., was one of the key figures in his growth. Bell credited Jack Irving (General Manager, T.R.D.) and David Wilson (Former President, T.R.D.) alongside him as the three people who took a massive gamble on him in 2014. It all began with a contract that Toyota gave him to drive 15 Late Model races.
It led to a part-time stint in the Truck Series and, eventually, a full-time ride. He said, “Whenever I got into full-time Trucks, I’m sure I was 20, 21 years old. At that time, Erik Jones was in the Cup Series, younger than me. Chase Elliott was in the Cup Series younger than me. I was like, Man, I have to get to the Cup Series tomorrow; otherwise, I’m not going to make it.”
One of the biggest lessons that he learned from the Toyota suits at this time was to always underpromise and over-deliver. He still doesn’t make promises that he can’t keep up. Gibbs & Co. continued to keep their trust in him as he struck gold and moved to the Cup Series soon after. He concluded his answer, “Thank you, Tyler. It means the world to me.”
Bell creates history in the Phoenix Raceway
The last time a driver won three consecutive races was in 2021 (Kyle Larson). Bell is the first driver to achieve this incredible feat in the Next Gen era. He is also the first driver to win three of the season’s first four races since Kevin Harvick did it in 2018. This wave that he is riding has got him and his No. 20 team grinning from ear to ear.
He led 105 of the 312 laps on Sunday. It all came down to a battle with Hamlin over the last two laps. For several moments, it appeared as though the No. 11 driver might edge ahead of him. However, Larson gave him a much-needed shove from behind and pushed his car forward. It made all the difference getting to the checkered flag.
Bell defeated Hamlin by 0.049 seconds. Larson is one of his biggest rivals on the race track. For him to play such a huge role in this feat is nothing short of a great epic. The next Cup Series race will be in Las Vegas. No driver has won four races in a row since Jimmie Johnson in 2007. The ball has now fallen to Bell.
