The upcoming Cup Series race in Las Vegas is a crucial one for Christopher Bell. He has won the previous three races on the schedule and has the golden chance to become the first driver since Jimmie Johnson in 2007 to win four consecutive races. Should he reach victory lane on Sunday, he will also be ending the long dominance of Hendrick Motorsports.
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The last two drivers to win four races in a row were Johnson and Jeff Gordon (1998). Gordon won 13 of the 33 races that year, but it was the 18th and the 21st races that he won four continuously. Johnson’s victories came at the very end of the season to blow the competition open. They resulted in his second Cup Series championship.
The feats of these two Hendrick Motorsports titans have been unmatched since. Several, including Joey Logano, Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, and Kyle Larson, came incredibly close to repeating it. But none of them managed to go the whole distance. Bell attempts this time in the colors of Joe Gibbs Racing.
Bell told the press about matching Johnson’s feat, “It’s hard to do. I acknowledge that. I’m just kind of in disbelief that I have that opportunity, but I’m looking forward to it.” His three wins came at Atlanta, the Circuit of the Americas, and Phoenix. In Atlanta, he led only the last lap. In COTA, he led eight laps. Phoenix was the only race he dominated, leading 105 laps.
The varied nature of these tracks makes Bell’s achievement thus far very impressive. He led 155 laps in Vegas last October but lost to Joey Logano. He has a good chance to win this weekend and create history. Other drivers who have won four races in a row include Mark Martin, Bill Elliott, Harry Gant, and Dale Earnhardt.
Drivers who narrowly missed out on winning four consecutive races
Winning four Cup Series races in the modern era of NASCAR is a tough challenge. Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski both won three consecutive races in 2018. But neither could win the fourth one. Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson won three consecutive races twice during the 2021 season. He failed to win the fourth race on both occasions.
The defending Cup Series champion, Logano, won an entire round of playoffs in 2015. He nearly closed out the fourth in Martinsville before Matt Kenseth wrecked him away from the lead. The chances that these drivers got were at chaotic tracks. By comparison, the Las Vegas Motor Speedway is a straightforward destination.
He hasn’t won a race there in ten appearances but has two runner-up finishes. He has good odds of completing the job that so many others have failed at.
