As the battle heats up at Martinsville, considering that all six drivers vying for a spot in the Championship 4 have previously conquered the tricky half-mile of Martinsville Speedway, the race promises high drama. But Christopher Bell’s crew aims to sidestep the chaos and still secure their place in the showdown.
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Among the competitors, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott, and Kyle Larson are trailing below the cutline, fighting to turn the tide in their favor. In contrast, Bell is comfortably perched at P3 on the leaderboard with a 29-point lead over his nearest rivals. Close behind him, William Byron holds the fourth position, cushioned by a slim margin of 7 points.
The #20 team’s crew chief outlined their tactics for not just surviving but thriving at Martinsville, ensuring their progression to the Championship 4. The strategy remains under wraps, but they are clear with their aim:
“It’s going to be a dogfight at the front for sure… I can tell you if we score 34 points, we cannot get past in the points. So that’s our goal going in is we have a point total we need to achieve and at the completion of stage one that point total can’t go up, it could certainly go down.”
Adam Stevens further emphasized the importance of a tactical approach to managing their current advantage. He plans to evaluate the team’s needs at the end of the first and second stages to ensure Bell maintains a strong position.
“That’s the wiser thing we can do with that cushion that we have. And hopefully, we can break even with the five and the 24 through the stages, input ourselves in a spot at the finish where we can be,” Stevens noted.
"I can tell you if we score 34 points, we cannot get passed in the points. So that's our goal going in."
🗣️ @JoeGibbsRacing Crew Chief Adam Stevens gives the No. 20 team's playoff mindset heading into @MartinsvilleSwy.
More ➡️ https://t.co/WGRTG5gVtL pic.twitter.com/EuW1cgTwTH
— SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Ch. 90) (@SiriusXMNASCAR) November 1, 2024
The strategy for the #20 team steers clear of the front-line fray, where five other drivers in a must-win scenario are likely to jostle aggressively for dominance.
This isn’t the battlefield Joe Gibbs Racing wants to find itself in. Consequently, Bell isn’t required to adopt an aggressive stance in his driving; instead, he can focus on strategic positioning and consistency to secure his spot in the Championship 4.
Can Bell replicate his 2022 success?
The #20 driver has consistently shown his mettle during the Round of 8 races over the last two seasons. Last year, he clinched a victory at Homestead-Miami Speedway, paving his way to the championship round.
But back in 2022, when he won at Martinsville, he started from P20 and eventually moved up to P6 by the end of Stage 1. He surged just one position — P5 by the close of Stage 2.
Despite a late pit stop that pushed him to restart in sixth with fresh tires, while Chase Briscoe led, Bell managed to overtake Briscoe on lap 496 to claim victory.
That race also witnessed Ross Chastain’s brave move from 10th to 5th on the final lap, executing what’s been dubbed the “Hail Melon” move — akin to maneuvers from a racing video game — by riding the wall through turns 3 and 4 to pass Denny Hamlin and clinch the final Championship spot.
As much as Chastain earned fame for that daring move, it was Bell’s victory that secured his Championship 4 spot. Looking ahead, if Bell can either replicate this performance or accumulate sufficient points to advance, it would mark his third straight year securing a spot in the Championship 4.
