It wasn’t pretty. Heck, it wasn’t even a complete race. But a win is a win for Christopher Bell, who was victorious in last week’s Coca-Cola 600 despite the race being suspended after 249 laps due to inclement weather.
Could this triumph be a springboard for Bell in the second half of the NASCAR season?
It’s certainly a possibility. Bell expressed his relief over getting the win at Charlotte Motor Speedway on the latest edition of “Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour” podcast, describing it as a “much-needed weekend for our group.”
“Going back to Kansas a couple [of] weeks ago … I felt like we were starting to get a little bit of momentum going after a really, really bad stretch of races,” Bell said. “We qualified on the pole at Kansas, but then in the race, we were still just lacking a little bit. Charlotte was the first weekend in a long time [when] we had a good practice session, a great qualifying session and then when Sunday rolled around, we had a great race car, too.
“I was bummed that we didn’t get to do all 600 miles, but a win’s a win and obviously a crown jewel event like the Coca-Cola 600. … Happy to get a crown jewel — my first one — and hopefully there’s a couple more in my future.”
Bell began the race third and went on to lead 90 of 249 laps.
In the aftermath of the win at Charlotte, Bell’s second win of this season and the eighth of his career, he’s now 11th in the Cup Series in total points (387). Furthermore, Bell has four top-five finishes and seven top-10 finishes this season.
Bell, 29, is in the midst of his fifth season on the NASCAR circuit. He spent his debut season with Leavine Family Racing before owner Bob Leavine sold the team following the 2020 season. Bell then joined Joe Gibbs Racing in 2021.
“After driving for a couple different crew chiefs throughout my short career so far, I’ve learned that every one of them and every team has a different dynamic,” Bell said. “In our team’s situation, [crew chief] Adam Stevens just worked with Kyle Busch for a long period of time — and Kyle is a very, very different driver than myself. I think Kyle probably took more of a leadership role in the team than I do. I found that I work best whenever I’m underneath the crew chief … [who] leads the team and he tells me, the driver, ‘Hey, you’re going to do this this week,’ ‘You’re going to do that this week,‘ ‘I need this from you,’ ‘I need that from you.’
“And that’s whenever I can perform my best and get the most out of myself as a driver. Adam is our team leader. He’s the one that’s keeping us going week in and week out, especially through the bad times.”
Stevens has been with Joe Gibbs Racing since 2011, previously serving as crew chief for the likes of Joey Logano and the aforementioned Busch. Bell and Stevens are in their fourth season together.
Next up for Bell and Stevens is the Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway on Sunday (3:30 p.m. ET on FS1 and the FOX Sports app).
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NASCAR Cup Series
Joe Gibbs Racing
Christopher Bell
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Joe Gibbs Racing