Christopher Bell is gearing up for another challenge. After his triumphant win at Atlanta Motor Speedway, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver must adapt to a dramatic shift to his racing style at the Circuit of The Americas. The 30-year-old has struggled at superspeedways in the past but had luck on his side at the 2025 AmBetter Health 400, as he narrowly edged out Carson Hocevar and Kyle Larson in the final lap before a caution was waved after Josh Berry’s incident.

However, the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix will be a new test altogether. Unlike racing on superspeedways, Bell believes COTA will leave nothing to ‘chance’ and force the racer to push his car to its limit to get a result at the 3.41-mile racetrack.

Christopher Bell sheds light on competing at COTA

Christopher Bell has had mixed fortunes at COTA. In his four appearances at the ‘Big Red’, the Oklahoman has finished in the top five twice, finishing just 0.692 seconds behind race-winner William Byron in last year’s iteration. It’s a track the Joe Gibbs Racing driver has endured a fair bit of controversy at as well, as Kyle Busch took exception to being spun by the racer in Lap 41 last year. Fans caught the two drivers having a heated confrontation about the incident after the race. However, the No. 20 driver believes the race is more akin to what he’s used to on the NASCAR calendar.

Sharing his thoughts on the difference between racing on superspeedways in comparison to Circuit of The Americas, Christopher Bell said on Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour podcast, “This is a completely different style of racing, a different skill set and I think you’re likely to see the players at the front at COTA to be different than what you saw in the front at Daytona or Atlanta.”

He continued, “You’re switching from playing chess to now really focusing on maximizing your racecar, your feel in the car, and being able to get feedback as to what the car needs to be better, what you’re struggling with and it’s turning into more traditional racing as we get further into the schedule with COTA coming up.”

There is an element of truth in Christopher Bell’s words.

Luck can play a major role when driving on superspeedways as drivers draft off each other to gain speed. With the margin for error, small, multi-car wrecks become an inevitable reality like we saw with Daniel Suarez or Austin Cindric at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Success on a track like Daytona or Talladega often hinges on avoiding trouble, as Bell showed by finishing well after starting in 32nd place, rather than simply outpacing rivals as in a traditional race.

Circuit of The Americas is more predictable in that regard. The track will force drivers to rely on their instincts to get the maximum performance out of their vehicles and ‘racing’ will take the forefront to gain track positions.

Sharing his thoughts on the change in driving style, Bell said, “Now you’re going to Circuit of The Americas where you’re literally pushing every tire in every corner to get the most out of it.”

Will the 30-year-old be able to carry the momentum forward from Atlanta Motor Speedway and secure his first win at COTA this year? That remains to be seen. However, if recent results at the 3.41-mile racetrack are anything to go by, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver has a good chance of entering Victory Lane. Fans can’t wait!

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Bell happy to end Joe Gibbs Racing’s ‘winless’ narrative

The last few months haven’t been easy for Joe Gibbs Racing. Despite securing plenty of promising results in the Cup Series, victory had eluded the team since June 2024. Both Martin Truex Jr. and Ty Gibbs were winless in 2024 while Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell struggled to enter Victory Lane in the second half of last year, despite coming agonizingly close on several occasions. It was a narrative, Christopher Bell was desperate to change eight months after his previous win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Sharing his thoughts about the situation, the racer said, “I am glad we don’t have to hear that. Joe Gibbs Racing has not won since June. I’m very happy to end that narrative.”

When asked if there was an overwhelming urgency to get a win, Bell said, ‘Absolutely not.’ He went on to say, “You look at Gateway. Gateway was could have, should have win. We had Las Vegas. That was definitely a could have, should have win. There’s a ton of races littered throughout that second half of the year that at least my team had.”

Despite securing three wins in 2024 and being one of the most consistent drivers on the grid, Christopher Bell failed to make the Championship 4 after the ‘wall-riding’ incident at Martinsville Speedway resulted in a penalty. However, with a win this year, the 30-year-old has secured a playoff spot already.

The top-shot driver aims to accumulate as many points as possible to remain in contention at Phoenix Raceway later this year. Could this finally be the year Bell lifts the Bill France Cup? Time will tell.