Christopher Bell attained his awaited checkered flag this season at Phoenix this past Sunday. This win also brought forward Toyota’s dominance in the Cup Series. The upgraded car models worked as game-changers for the manufacturer, In an otherwise Chevrolet-dominated environment, Joe Gibbs Racing went all cylinders firing with all four drivers securing a rank within the top 12.

No. 54 Ty Gibbs missed the second position by a close margin when RFK Racing’s Chris Buescher surpassed him. Other than that, Martin Truex Jr. finished at P7 and pole winner Denny Hamlin at P11. Bell thinks that this victory is the start of something great for him and his team.

Christopher Bell leaves his last two mediocre seasons in the rear view mirror

Christopher Bell opened up to SiriusXM NASCAR in a post-race interview. During the chat, he described how it felt to register his first Cup Series win in the ongoing season. When the interviewer asked about the brake issues that held him back from winning a chunk of races last year, Bell seemed overwhelmed and also excited. He is finally relieved to be ridden of this issue.

“Oh it’s a special one and really it’s a credit to the team. The Rheem Camry was absolutely incredible, and I’m just honored to be in this position. And I feel like the last two years, we haven’t reached our potentially yet. And hopefully, this is a sign of what’s to come,” he answered.

Thinking of his break issues woes in Phoenix from November 2023, he said, “Real redemption is in November, and we’ll see how that goes,” added Bell.

This feat was not a walk in the park though, Bell had to work hard throughout. He was not even in the top 10 for a major chunk of the race. At one point, he was running at P20. But He re-entered the top 10 to finally overtake his JGR teammates and later hold on to the lead till the end.

Bell refrained from taking all credit and praised his entire team, especially his pit crews. He said, “My pit crew did amazing. They are one of the best in the business and everyone’s gonna have a bad stop every now and then. Very proud of everybody on this car, all the pit crew members, they pulled through. It was a great day.”

Read More: “I Came…Here a Sad Man” – Christopher Bell Opens Up About His Struggles at and Around Phoenix

Bell has a lot of hope from his team this year

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Stage 1 belonged to Tyler Reddick, who dashed his way passing Bell’s JGR teammates Gibbs and Truex Jr. However, Stage 2 saw an all-Christopher Bell domination. The 29-year-old led a total of 50 laps on the 1-mile track. His entering the top 10 from nowhere and making his way through that traffic was quite commendable.

“You don’t get cars like that very often,” Bell told Fox Sports’ Regan Smith after the race. “Just super, super proud. Proud to be on this 20 car, this Rheem Camry was amazing today. I feel like we have capability of running races like this a lot. Hopefully, this is the first of many this year.”

The Phoenix Raceway will host the NASCAR Cup Series Championship once again this year. It would be interesting to see if Christopher Bell lives up to his commitment to redeem himself. Can JGR, with their new breakout Toyota, claim the championship this year, breaking Team Penske’s streak?

Read More: Christopher Bell Rebounds at Phoenix as He Claims Stage Two Win Over Tyler Reddick