All eyes will be on Christopher Bell. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver is on the verge of winning his fourth Cup Series race in a row at the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The confidence, along with expectations, will be at an all-time high from the Oklahoman and his No. 20 team led by crew chief Adam Stevens, especially with momentum on his side. Take your mind back to the last time a driver won four in his opening five races: Bill Elliott in 1992! So it’s fair to say that the 30-year-old could be making history at the ‘Diamond in the Desert.’

It seems like the NASCAR community is rallying behind Bell ahead of the season’s fifth race. The racer has received encouraging words from none other than seven-time Cup Series winner Jimmie Johnson, who was the last driver to win four in a row in 2007.

Christopher Bell is in awe of Jimmie Johnson

It only happened 18 years ago, but it feels like an eternity. Jimmie Johnson cemented his dominance in NASCAR by securing four wins in a row towards the end of the 2007 Cup Series campaign. Having already won a championship the previous year, the No. 48 Chevy driver secured wins at Martinsville, Atlanta, Texas, and Phoenix to eventually lift the Bill France Cup in the following race at Homestead-Miami. It was quite a season for the California native, as he ended the year with 10 triumphs.

With Christopher Bell on the verge of making history, Jimmie Johnson didn’t hesitate to contact the JGR driver, showering praise on his achievements. Sharing his thoughts in the pre-race press conference, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver said, “So, it’s still the coolest thing in the world to me that I have Jimmie Johnson in my phone. He has talked to me. He has sent a text message to me after every win so far. I’m just still shocked everytime I see his name pop up. I respect the heck out of him. It’s an honor to think that he thinks of me after the race to shoot me a text message. That’s so cool. So yes, we have connected.”

Think about it this way: Christopher Bell was just 12 years old when Jimmie Johnson won his first Cup Series title back in 2006. Then, Bell would have watched Johnson dominate the grid to win 5 straight titles while Bell matured as a young driver. Now, to not only race against him in the Cup Series but to receive validation from a legend? No wonder the 30-year-old is starstruck.

As things stand, Christopher Bell is looking like a force to be reckoned with. The Oklahoman has already matched his last year’s race wins tally! What makes the feat even more impressive is the fact that his triumphs have come on three different track types, with Atlanta Motor Speedway being a drafting venue, while the Circuit of the Americas is a road course, and Phoenix Raceway is a one-mile flat track. It highlights his versatility and evolution as a racing driver.

Bell looks like a man out for redemption. Despite showing great consistency in 2024, the racer failed to make it to Championship 4. A race manipulation scandal at Martinsville, to go with his wall-riding antics, saw him get disqualified from a Championship 4 spot, after which Bell even said, “I feel cheated.” His rise this season, however, can be attributed to more than just great driving.

Last year, when Joe Gibbs Racing decided to lift its ban on racing outside NASCAR, Bell was elated. The 3x Chili Bowl Champion wasted no time in getting back in dirt track action to prepare for the 2025 season and the return to his roots is clearly paying dividends. Now, if you cast your memory back to 2021, you will notice some stark similarities between Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell.

Larson was suspended for most of the 2020 Cup Series season due to an insensitive comment. However, he used this time to work on his craft and got his hands on any car he could drive between 2020 and the start of the 2021 season. He ran over 90 races, and most notably, as a part-time driver, Larson secured the most wins on the World of Outlaws tour with 12 victories. After this, he went on to absolutely dominate the Cup Series grid in 2021, with 10 wins en route to his first championship. Have you picked up the connection yet?

Christopher Bell was quoted saying, “I felt resentment” when he wasn’t allowed to race the dirt cars he loves. And once he got the opportunity to, he has taken the Cup Series grid by storm, doing something last done by Larson in 2021 (winning three consecutive races). Well, this could all be mere coincidence in terms of their success, but Bell did point to how important racing in the offseason is for him.

“You can’t simulate race time… If you don’t race for a period of time, your decision making is not going to be as sharp as it could be.” Bell told ESPN. Now, the JGR driver has got his race time and looks like a bonafide championship contender. As he looks forward to Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend, he is determined to use the track as a stepping stone for the playoffs.

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Bell is looking at the big picture

Christopher Bell isn’t taking it easy. Even though three wins in the opening four races have put him in a comfortable position, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver is determined not to get complacent ahead of the upcoming race in Las Vegas. The Pennzoil 400 is the first race this year that will take place on a 1.5-mile intermediate speedway, and the No. 20 Toyota driver will look to put his demons from 2024 behind him, He led a race-high 155 laps in last year’s playoff fixture, only to finish second behind Joey Logano by 0.662 seconds, as the later locked his spot into the Championship 4.

Determined to make amends, Bell candidly said, “It’s an important race because you have a lot of points to be gained or lost on intermediate-style tracks. But what makes Vegas super important is that it’s in the Round of 8. That race, when you come back in the fall, is super important to have a really solid points day and contend for the win. That fall Vegas race is everything, and there’s no better tune-up for it than the spring Vegas race.”

Having completed five full seasons in the NASCAR Cup Series, the time for Christopher Bell to perform is now. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has finished 3rd, 4th, and 5th in his last three seasons with the team but will want to mount a real title challenge this time around after making a bright start to the campaign. In a sport defined by fine margins, every little detail counts, and the Oklahoman will be leaving no stone unturned to keep his eyes on the ultimate prize.