Christopher Bell’s progression in the NASCAR Cup Series can be assessed by his achievements so far this season, winning three races in just the first four races, a feat that previously took him an entire season in 2022 and at least 18 races in 2024 to accomplish. With a playoff berth already secured early this season, Bell is ready to adopt a more daring approach to pursue additional victories and points.
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Ahead of the fifth race of the season in Las Vegas, the #20 Joe Gibbs Racing driver shared his strategic outlook, remarking, “With us having multiple wins and knowing that we’re in the playoffs, if there’s a little bit more risky of a move, yeah, it certainly opens up the strategy book.”
He elaborated on the flexibility this affords, “You don’t really know how it’s going to play out until you get into the race, but certainly, the positions where it’s a little bit more high-risk where you normally wouldn’t take that risk if you’re focused on the regular-season points, well, now we can.”
Taking increased risks on the track, while potentially rewarding, also heightens the stakes, as seen last year at Martinsville. There, Bell was a mere point away from securing a Championship 4 berth when a move toward the wall, infamously dubbed “Hail Melon,” relegated him to 22nd place, making him the last car one lap down.
Instead of being on par with William Byron in playoff points, the maneuver resulted in his premature exit from playoff contention.
Therefore, while a certain degree of strategic risk is permissible on the racetrack, Bell must tread carefully. He must ensure that his moves do not inadvertently cost him valuable points in the standings, potentially undermining his season’s efforts.
Bell’s expectations from the next few races and season
Bell has bagged two runner-up finishes and one top-5 in his last four appearances at Las Vegas, making the prospect of him capturing a fourth victory there seem within reach. Bell himself is optimistic and buoyed by strong team support.
He pointed out that given the #20 team has a great crew chief, mechanics, engineers, pit crew, and a great driver, with three wins already so early in the season, he expects to make the most of it.
The Joe Gibbs Racing driver is setting his sights on multiple victories [beyond three] this season, having already amassed 12 wins over six seasons. He confidently stated, “So at Vegas, we’re expecting to compete for the win and, hopefully, we can continue to rack ’em up.”
Bell, who etched his name in the record books as the first driver to win three consecutive races in the Next Gen era following his win in Phoenix last weekend, has an overall average finish of 17.4 across ten starts at the Las Vegas track. However, his average has improved to 14.3 over six starts. Securing a fourth win this coming Sunday would extend his unparalleled run.
