Last year, when William Byron edged out Christopher Bell to secure a spot in the Championship 4, it greatly impacted Bell, marking the first time he had not reached the final quartet in three years. But this season, the battle for supremacy in the driver standings has started between the two since the first race itself.
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Despite Bell’s impressive streak of three consecutive victories following the Daytona 500, he still trails Byron, the current leader, by 13 points. Yet, the deficit seemingly does not perturb the #20 driver.
With both competitors having participated in four starts this season, Bell’s lead in race victories has not translated into a lead in the standings. His disappointing 31st-place finish at the Daytona 500 and leading a lesser number of laps adversely affected his overall ranking.
Nonetheless, ahead of the fifth race of the season in Las Vegas, when Bell was questioned if he feels weird about his position in the points standings, he responded:
“I actually don’t. I’ve had a couple of people ask me that same question throughout the week, and I genuinely think that the points format is really cool the way that it is because it rewards running well throughout the entire race. I’ve gotten great finishes and won the races, but at Atlanta, I led one lap, and at COTA, I led nine laps. The car that I’m racing – William Bryon – has scored more stage points than me.”
Consequently, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver appears at peace with the current points system, recognizing that his position in the standings is due to his lower stage point tally. But Bell is optimistic about the natural progression of the season, confident that as more races take place, the standings will accurately reflect consistent performance.
He maintains that in due course, “the cream will rise to the top,” and the drivers amassing the most points will rightfully advance to the forefront.
Bell answers if leading the points is something another carrot to chase
Bell has already caught his personal best by securing the highest number of victories he has achieved in a season within the first four races, tallying three wins. The accomplishment has sharpened his focus on accumulating more victories throughout the season.
Meanwhile, he remains committed to not overlooking the accumulation of points and stage victories. He plans to intensify his pursuit of points as the regular season draws to a close, with an eye on winning the regular season championship.
Bell articulated his aspirations, stating, “After race 26, the regular season points championship is one of the goals we’ve had the last couple of years, and we have fallen short. I have never won the regular season championship, but that is definitely a goal. The 15 points are a really big deal. A really big advantage once you get into the postseason.”
He added, “So, I’m not really concerned with leading the points right now, but definitely once we get to race 24, 25, 26 – at the end of the regular season — that is a huge carrot to chase, and I will be chasing it.”
Presently, Bell is ready to compete in the season’s fourth race, aiming to match Jimmie Johnson’s 2007 record of winning four consecutive races — a feat unmatched by any driver since then.
