Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell finished the latest Cup Series race at Daytona in third place. It was one of the eight top-5 finishes that he has secured this season and a well-worthy performance. But not every weekend in 2024 has ended positively for him. With the final race of the regular season now on the horizon, the extremeness that has latched itself onto his back deserves a look.
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Bell’s first victory of the year came in Phoenix. He then won at Charlotte and in New Hampshire. Furthermore, he finished a staggering 14 races in the top 10. Only points leader Tyler Reddick has more top-10 finishes than him. By most means, these numbers should have placed him further up the driver standings than in the sixth spot. But that’s where he is heading to Darlington this weekend.
The biggest reason behind this discontent is his knack for DNFs. Bell has six DNFs so far — one lower than Berry who has the most in the field. He has also finished a further two races outside the top 30. This inconsistency is what has pulled him back a lot and stopped him from being a potential regular-season champion. It is also what has made 2024 his best and worst season.
Despite 2024 being arguably Christopher Bell’s best season in the Cup Series, it has also been his most inconsistent.
Number of finishes of 30th or worse by year for Christopher Bell:
2020 – 5
2021 – 5
2022 – 5
2023 – 4
2024 – 8 pic.twitter.com/DSiWNu6YJ9— Trey Ryan (@TreyRyan99) August 20, 2024
Never before since he gained promotion to the Cup Series in 2020 has Bell won three races by this point of the season. And never before has he finished eight races outside the top 30. On the brighter side of things, his No. 20 Camry has given him 10 stage wins, the most in the field. It has also helped him lead 720 laps so far. Only Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin have led more.
Why Bell did not feel in control at Daytona on Saturday
The driver’s third-place finish last weekend matched his result from the season-opening Daytona 500. However, the night didn’t end without reason for disappointment. He was one of the main men involved in the final lap fiasco, restarting behind Kyle Busch. He was expected to give Busch a push from behind to grant an advantage or take his own, but he failed to do so.
“I’m bombed about it,” he told NBC Sports after the race. “Because you obviously want to push the leader out and have a shot to win yourself. But I just never really felt in control. I was always chasing my car so I wasn’t confident enough to get behind the No. 8 and push him.”
His next race will be the upcoming Southern 500 at Darlington. The iconic Johnny Mantz trophy awaits only the bravest and most skilled of them all. Having already won his first crown jewel race this season, Bell will be hoping to add to the tally.
