For Christopher Bell, the start of this season in the NASCAR Cup Series has felt like a slow climb. After three races, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver sits 24th in the standings with 59 points, trailing leader Tyler Reddick by 127 points. Inside the No. 20 camp, crew chief Adam Stevens sees pace on track even if the scoreboard tells another story. Bell, however, knows numbers do carry significance and is not brushing off the slow start.
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During his run in the 2026 Daytona 500, Bell spent time near the front before trouble struck, and he crossed the line in 35th place. At Atlanta, where he stood in victory lane last year, contact from Carson Hocevar sent his car into the wall, leaving him with a P21 result. The tide turned at COTA. During a late caution, the No. 20 crew made a tire call, and the move paid off. As a result, Bell charged from P16 to P3 in the closing stretch.
The finish delivered 34 points, lifting him seven spots in the standings. Even so, Bell knows the chase format values stringing together results week after week, something his team has yet to achieve. He made his feelings clear during a recent conversation. “Yeah, it sucks. It definitely, definitely sucks. Under the old format, it would literally be no big deal.”
“You’d just think, ‘We’re going to win at some point, it doesn’t matter.’ But now it absolutely matters. The cool thing about this format is the upped points for wins, which is a big reason why I’m 100 points out and not less than that. It gives teams the opportunity to make up more points than we’ve had in the past if you’re able to win. But it’s still too early to know if we’re going to have a shot at the regular-season championship or not,” said the JGR driver.
Through three races, Bell and crew have yet to bank points during stages or at the finish. For now, a run near the front of the standings by the close of the regular season will serve as the next target, though Bell admitted the start of the year has left a sour taste.
What does Christopher Bell’s crew chief think?
Adam Stevens, crew chief of the No. 20 crew, however, sees no reason to feel pressured. Speaking on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, he said the focus within the garage remains on separating pace from results. If the speed is there, the finishes will follow sooner or later.
Stevens also pointed to the opening stretch of the calendar, which includes tracks that can turn races into a game of chance. From his seat on the pit box, the team has not fallen short on pace at any of the three venues visited so far.
For now, the No. 20 group is keeping its focus on the next race. No one inside the garage is hitting the panic button, but they are keeping one eye on the scoreboard as the season has started to gather speed, especially with the coming stretch of races, starting with Phoenix this Sunday.
