Christopher Bell’s finest Cup Series campaign to date came in 2022, when he finished third in the final standings. Though his last two seasons ended in heartbreak, particularly in the penultimate races where he led the points but failed to crack the Championship 4, he still salvaged both years with fifth-place finishes. Across his six seasons in the Cup Series, Bell has punched his ticket to the playoffs every year except his debut campaign and has finished inside the top five in each season beyond his first two. While the final standings tell only part of the story, the underlying numbers show that Bell has improved his performance every year since his rookie season.
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Racing Territory recently unveiled the average NASCAR Cup Series finish per season for the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing driver, and the numbers spoke volumes. During his rookie run in 2020 with Leavine Family Racing, Bell posted an average finishing position of 20.3 by season’s end. By 2021, following his transition to JGR, he had already trimmed that number by 4.5 positions and finished the year with a 15.8 average.
The 2022 season brought the Next Gen car into the equation. While other Cup drivers stumbled, Bell managed to avoid the growing pains and improved again. He pushed his average finish to 13.8 by year’s end. The 2023 campaign saw Bell shave that figure down to a 12.9 average finish, and last year he inched forward another 0.1 to settle at 12.8.
2025 marked another leap as Bell won four races, three of which came back-to-back at the season’s outset in Atlanta, COTA, and Phoenix, driving his average finish to 11.2. Had he managed to edge Kyle Larson at Martinsville in the season’s penultimate race, he would have seized a spot in the finale as well.
Christopher Bell’s average NASCAR Cup Series finish per season:
2025- 11.2
2024- 12.8
2023- 12.9
2022- 13.8
2021- 15.8
2020- 20.3 pic.twitter.com/1F6XCYz8xN— Racing Territory (@RacingTerritory) January 2, 2026
That scenario never materialized as Larson ran inside the top five throughout the day, bouncing Bell from championship contention by seven points. The No. 20 driver’s 11th-place result in the Phoenix Raceway finale secured his fourth straight season inside the top five of the driver standings.
Beyond the points chart, 2025 became Bell’s most productive season by the numbers. He recorded a career-high four victories, finished 13 races in the top five, 22 top-10 results, and paced the field for 282 laps total.
His best performance of the year likely came at Phoenix during the spring event. He controlled proceedings there, commanding 105 laps and appearing headed for a comfortable success. A late caution triggered a two-lap shootout for the checkered flag, and the No. 20 JGR driver fended off JGR teammate Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson to capture his third consecutive win.
