Fans’ support can make all the difference in an athlete striving to reach the peak level of their performance in any sport. Stock car racing is no different. Sadly, Christopher Bell believes he lacks that key factor behind the #20 Toyota Camry despite some extraordinary outings in recent times. He opened up on his thoughts to the media ahead of the Bristol race.
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Responding to a question that came about the recognition that he got for his victories, Bell expressed that he wasn’t doing enough for everyone to be talking about him yet. He said, “Frankly, I got to win. I’m not a talker, I’m not a shower, I hope to be a winner. I know that in order for people to talk about me I have to win.”
The 29-year-old driver’s ambition is to be someone who wins 6 or 7 races every season. While he acknowledged that he wasn’t at that level yet, he strives to be. He also mentioned that the insiders of the industry were already aware of his caliber and that it was the outsiders whom he was yet to please.
Bell’s most recent victory came at the Phoenix Raceway last Sunday. He was a Championship 4 finalist in 2023 and the only driver from JGR to compete for the title.
Christopher Bell admits mistake in failing to get new NASCAR fans to look at him
NASCAR has been moving on multiple fronts to popularize itself and its drivers to a new set of audience that could help grow the sport. Christopher Bell has been a part of such initiatives, but otherwise, doesn’t believe that he has been very good at showcasing his personality to the unknown sector of people.
He said in the interview, “I haven’t been very good at showing my personality, who I am, to the general public. So, yeah. Whenever I got the opportunity to be on the Netflix show I tried to open up as much as I could. I just hope that we’re able to keep it going and keep the momentum going.”
Regardless of shows like ‘Full Speed’ and other such marketing activities, it will be race wins that can ultimately decide the popularity of a driver. Bell had 2 victories last year. He will go into the 5th race of the ongoing season with the hope of equaling that tally already. He is the second-favorite to win at Bristol on Sunday with opening odds of 5-1, according to DraftKings.
