Christopher Bell won’t have one of the most important members of his team for the next few races. His crew chief Adam Stevens suffered a knee injury during the Olympics break and it will take some time for him to fully recover and get back on track. The #20 team’s car chief Chris Sherwood will be taking on crew chief duties until that time. Stevens has been an integral part of Bell’s time at Joe Gibbs Racing, working with the Oklahoma native for several years now.
Advertisement
No. 20 crew chief Adam Stevens suffered a double knee injury recently. The team built him a custom seat for the pit box that he could potentially use at future #NASCAR races. It is to be determined when Adam will return to the track. #racing pic.twitter.com/HhCVuXDpwa
— Joe Gibbs Racing (@JoeGibbsRacing) August 9, 2024
However, Bell is not too worried about Sherwood being crew chief either since they have worked together since the former’s time in the Xfinity Series. Despite Stevens suffering from torn patellar tendons while jumping off a diving board during his time off, he will also be part of the races from JGR’s command center. If there are no technical difficulties with communications, the driver of the #20 car doesn’t foresee any problems.
“Obviously the playoffs are really important but honestly, if we don’t have technical difficulties from communication from Huntersville to the race track, then it’s not going to be much different. So as long as everything goes to plan, I’m not going to notice a difference in the car. The way it can get tricky is if we lose internet on the pit box,” he explained to the media.
The JGR star has been in fine form this season, winning three races and clinching a season-best nine stages with Stevens. He made it to the championship race last year and will be looking to do the same result this time around.
How is Bell’s usual crew chief recovering?
The doctors have advised the crew chief of the #20 car to keep his legs straight for at least six weeks. He recently underwent surgery for his dual patellar tendon rupture in what was a freak accident. Thankfully, there was no further damage to either knee otherwise things could have been a lot worse for the 46-year-old. He underwent successful surgery only a few days after his accident.
“There was no ancillary damage in either knee. It was just that patellar tendon on both sides; no ligaments, no bones, no bone structure issues. So, it was a straightforward fix if you’re an orthopedic surgeon. Wouldn’t be straightforward for any of the rest of us, I guess, and now we’re healing up,” Stevens told NASCAR.
The upcoming 400-mile-long race at Richmond Raceway this Sunday will showcase whether Stevens’ absence on the track has any effect on the #20 Toyota Camry driver’s results.
