Christopher Bell was one of the earliest drivers this season to fix their spots in the playoffs. He secured victories in Phoenix and Charlotte. He currently sits eighth on the points table. The 29-year-old has always kept himself away from the spotlight either by his own will or by the conscious choices of others in the industry. But little is that a concern for him, as someone who voluntarily neglects the media.
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Bell was recently interviewed by veteran reporter Jeff Gluck. It was then that the driver spoke out about his views on the media. He admitted that he doesn’t consume a lot of social or traditional media during the week since it messes with his mind. He holds his foot down even when his in-laws come over and want to watch shows such as Race Hub.
The reason behind this adamancy is his dislike to hear opinions about himself and his team that hold little to no weight. He said, “I focus on our team. And I try to not digest the other opinions of our team that get floated around.” A chance for him to back this stand with an example quickly came by with another question that Gluck had for him.
The reporter asked, “What is an opinion you have about NASCAR that you don’t think is shared by the fans?” With the answer that Bell provided, it is hard not to get flashbacks of the troubles that Joey Logano went through last year after claiming that NASCAR fans were spoiled with the exposure that they get to drivers. Thankfully, the answer from Coach Gibbs’ man wasn’t on the same lines.
Christopher Bell explains the one opinion that he has which differs largely from that of fans
Complaining about NASCAR and its products has become so embedded into the stock car racing culture that it feels native. But Bell has had enough of it. He replied to Gluck, “My opinion is that our racing product is actually good. I just get tired of all the negativity that comes around with the media stuff. And obviously, this is a deterrent to why I stay away from it.”
“I wouldn’t say media stuff, I would say more like fan input. They just complain and gripe about the product. And it doesn’t matter what the product is, they’re going to complain about it.”
As valid as his point is, statements like these tend to receive some sort of backlash. That said, he wouldn’t be too concerned about it with the laser focus that he has in improving his game.
