One driver who has impressed the most among the current active drivers is Christopher Bell, especially in the next-gen era. The 30-year-old has always made it to the championship four since 2022, except for narrowly missing out last year and ending up in 5th. The fact is that, in the next-generation era, no one has matched the consistency of the Toyota driver. But if we go back a decade to his start in NASCAR, if not for the correct decisions, he could have been in a Mustang today!

Yeah. Bell had two offers in 2015 – Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing (Ford) and the other with Kyle Busch Motorsports (Toyota). Moreover, Bell had run a few ARCA races and impressed everyone with a top 10 at Irwindale Speedway. This got both manufacturers inquisitive about bagging the young talent. And while it was a tough call for Bell, he picked Toyota over Ford thanks to an offer he could not refuse.

Christopher Bell and Toyota: a match made in heaven

So, Bell was running dirt races before coming into ARCA or the Truck Series in 2015. And a lot of those were on the Tony Stewart-owned Eldora Speedway. That’s why the track is special for the Oklahoma native. He’s even referred to it as his “favorite track” a few times in the past. And this is what made him pick the Toyota deal over Ford. RFK had a detailed plan for him, but Toyota showed trust and agreed to his one non-negotiable demand: to run an Eldora race.

Recently, Christopher Bell shared a story saying, “I could either sign up to run full-time ARCA in 2015 (with RFK), or I could stay with Toyota, and they guaranteed me like 10 or 15 late model races. And the breaking deal for me was. I said, ‘If you can just give me this Eldora Truck race, I will stay with you guys, I get 15 late-model races. I’ll do the late model races and then this Eldora Truck race. And that’s what it ended up being. I ended up with Toyota because they gave me the late model races and the Truck race at Eldora.”

And that season, along with the late model races, Bell made seven Truck Series starts with KBM. In fact, he won the Eldora Truck race! This kicked off his NASCAR journey. In 2016, he ran a full Truck season with KBM. Followed by a second one in 2017, when he won the championship. Basically, Bell delivered, and Toyota kept their word.

Speaking about 2015, Bell also said, “That contract that I had from Roush spelled out all of my salaries what I was gonna make each year. Like the first year I was gonna do ARCA. I was going to go ARCA racing and then Truck racing, Xfinity racing, and then into the Cup car. It literally spelled it out year by year where I was going to go. And the Toyota guys, they didn’t have that path available for me. The only thing that they could tell me is that we are not gonna let you down.”

Bell ran a few Xfinity races for Joe Gibbs Racing before bagging a full ride with them in 2018, the same year. And the way he ran that #20 ride…it hardly needs an explanation. 7 wins in the first year, setting a record for winning the most races in a rookie season all time. The record remains unbeaten. And in the second year (2019) with JGR, he bettered it, winning 8 races.

So naturally, such a performance deserved a promotion. But at the time, there were no spots vacant at JGR. So he ran his first Cup season for Levaine Family Racing (2020) before joining JGR in 2021, replacing Erik Jones.

And what followed was pure consistency. So far, Bell has made 185 starts, won 10 races, and finished 47 times in the top 5. But that elusive Cup Championship is yet to come! Maybe 2025 will get him going, and he’s already off to a good start.

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Can Christopher Bell win the 2025 championship?

Bell’s energy is different this year. Maybe it is because he’s continued the racing momentum in the off-season. Folks, Joe Gibbs lifted the ban on racing outside NASCAR this year, and Bell did the most of it. He ran the Tulsa Shootout and then also the Chili Bowl. And just three races into the season, he’s already got his first win at the recent Atlanta race. Even Bell feels it has something to do with racing in the off-season.

In the post-win interview, he said, “I’m sure that some of it or part of it is due to the fact that I have been racing through the offseason. It’s a dream come true to be able to drive for Joe Gibbs Racing in these Cup Series cars, and I’m honored and privileged to be able to have some fun outside of the Cup Series cars now. I hope that I can make this the best year ever and prove to the company that it’s the right thing for me to do to be out there racing.”

And the best year could only mean winning a championship. He was too close in the last three years, finishing 3rd in 2022, 4th in 2023, and 5th in 2024. Well, Bell has gotten the playoff berth. But next up is the Circuit of The Americas. He needs to keep this winning momentum.

And he’s confident about it: “COTA is a good place to start. Honestly, we’re just getting into the bread and butter of what the 20 car likes. COTA should be a strong track. Phoenix, Vegas, Darlington, Homestead. All of these tracks coming up in the early part of the season is where we think we can compete for wins and do good, score a lot of points.” 

We know he’s got the consistency required. If only he could keep winning the crucial races, the championship shouldn’t be far. What do you think are his chances of winning the title this year? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.