What occurs when you are about to make history, but history itself seems intent on preventing you from doing so? Jimmie Johnson is all too familiar with the emotion. He was the last driver to win four consecutive NASCAR Cup Series races in 2007.

“The stress of maintaining success in NASCAR is unlike anything else. The closer you get to something special, the more pressure builds—internally, externally, and sometimes in ways you don’t even see coming,” Johnson once admitted.

Christopher Bell, who is riding a three-race winning streak into the pandemonium of Las Vegas, is currently on the verge of that same challenge. However, if history is any indication, the fourth victory is the most difficult to achieve. Ask Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, and Kyle Larson, who all came dangerously close to winning, only to have fate intervene and snatch it away.

With three consecutive victories at Atlanta, COTA, and Phoenix, Christopher Bell has emerged as NASCAR’s most impressive driver of the 2025 season. With an exciting overtime pass at Atlanta, a masterclass in Las Vegas, and an incredible picture finish at Phoenix when he defeated Denny Hamlin by a mere 0.049 seconds—the second-closest finish in track history—his 2025 season has been nothing short of spectacular. “I knew it was going to be close,” Bell said after the race. “Denny wasn’t going to give me an inch. But I had to go for it.”

The burden of history now hangs over him. Every time, accidents, blown tires, and expensive errors have occurred. Kyle Busch was invincible in 2018. After winning three races in a row at Texas, Bristol, and Richmond, he appeared to be a lock to win four at Talladega. He had speed in his No. 18 Toyota. His staff did a perfect job. Everything was proceeding as planned—until it wasn’t. Busch was cruising in the top five with 22 laps remaining, setting himself up for a late-race surge. However, Talladega, who is notoriously unpredictable, had other ideas.

Before he could respond, he was caught up in the chaos of a 14-car collision that was unfolding in front of him. In an instant, his race—and his streak—were over. “Once we got in that wreck, it was over. We got the car handling better all day, but we just lacked speedway speed.” Fans saw the same story with Harvick in 2018 when a collision with Kyle Larson at Fontana ended his streak. When Kyle Larson came sniffing for the record, his No. 5 Chevrolet crashed into the barriers on the last turn after his left front tire exploded. Larson hobbled home eighth, as Alex Bowman bounded past for the victory.

Bell’s crew chief, Adam Stevens felt confident about their chances, especially after the No. 20 car snapped a 19-race winless streak that started in New Hampshire last July. “The chase (last season), we had so many opportunities and did everything we needed to do, it just didn’t go our way. And what we’ve seen this year, (winning) three out of four times, things are going our way.”

For what it’s worth, Bell and his crew chief think they can break the curse. Speaking after Shriners Children’s 500, Bell said, “I will never forget 2021, my first year with Adam Stevens, and me and Adam got off to a rocky start. We were sitting in his office there at JGR and he looked at me and said: ‘We can do this. I’ve won three straight sitting in these exact same two chairs,’ talking about him and Kyle Busch. And he said, ‘I know that we can do it.’” Bell rounded it off with a confident Instagram post, captioned, “We’re not gonna win them all….but we’re damn sure gonna try! Love this team! Resers Dub! #teamtoyota.” 

Even Coach Gibbs has the confidence in the duo. He thinks the team has cracked the formula putting Adam Stevens’ experience with Christopher Bell’s skills. “Adam and Christopher are a real pair. Adam, obviously you can tell he has a gift and a crew chief. He’s done the Final Four about nine times, and so just appreciate them and how hard they work.”

Now, Christopher Bell is on the doorstep of making history. Will Bell break the curse? Or will he become its next victim? One thing is certain: all eyes will be on Vegas. Denny Hamlin doesn’t think the streak is sustainable.

Denny Hamlin takes a shock stance in Bell’s streak

“As a driver, as a competitor, we do not like seeing our teammates win,” said Denny Hamlin just a few weeks ago when Bell established himself as a major player in the 2025 Cup Series race. Although Hamlin spoke about it in a competitive sense, pushing himself to be on par with the No. 20 car, Hamlin’s recent comments about Bell’s streak are not positive.

On Actions Detrimental with Denny Hamlin, the driver said, “Being like, having good fortune, and winning races that you don’t expect to win, you know, those things just kind of happen, and they get spread out in your career usually. But, you know, is it sustainable in the sense of — I mean, could he win the next two more in a row on skill and talent and speed? Absolutely. Yeah. But it’s a weird business — you know, the fastest car, fastest driver only wins like, 30 some percent of the time. So, it would be defying odds. Even if he were to dominate the next couple of weeks, which he could. … He easily could have had no victories. Instead, he’s got three in a row. So that just tells you kind of like the balance of this thing. … It’ll make you jealous of the fortune very quickly.”

Well, looking at Bell’s record at the Las Vegas Speedway, Denny Hamlin’s words might just ring true. In 10 Cup Series races at the track, Bell has failed to win even once, not being able to convert a pole position into a win thrice. With an average finish of 14.3, Bell certainly has a challenge on his hands, but given the way the season has turned out for him so far, he might just do it!