What more does Christopher Bell need to do? Despite winning three races in a row, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver is currently second in the drivers’ standing behind Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron. The No. 24 Chevy racer won the season opening Daytona 500 earlier this year, and more consistent performances in the opening four fixtures means he has accumulated 165 points, 13 points ahead of his rival despite having fewer triumphs.

However, Bell seems to be taking it all in stride. Despite not leading the standings at the moment, the Oklahoman is adopting a patient approach as he looks to replicate Kyle Busch’s achievement from 2019 to give Joe Gibbs Racing a much-needed moment of glory.

Christopher Bell has his eyes on the prize

In nearly every motorsports discipline, securing three wins in the opening four races would guarantee a driver a top spot in the standings. However, that isn’t the case in NASCAR. Despite having a ‘win and in’ playoff system, the sanctioning body rewards consistency in races as well as the overall result to hand out points to its drivers. What does that mean exactly? Well, it means that winning stage points and the Xfinity fastest lap also make a difference in where a driver ends up in the standings, a lesson Bell seems to have learned the hard way.

However, Christopher Bell seems unfazed, despite what seems to be a double standard on NASCAR’s part. Speaking in the pre-race press conference ahead of the race in Las Vegas, the No. 20 Toyota driver said, “You know, I’ve gotten great finishes and won the races, but what was it, Atlanta? I led one lap, and at COTA, I led nine laps. The car, William Byron, the car that I’m racing, he’s scored more stage points than me, so I’m content with the points system, and I understand that the reason I’m not winning or leading the points is because I haven’t scored stage points.”

Well, the stats speak for themselves. Bell finished 5th in stage 1 at the Daytona 500 and finished 31st, accruing 11 points in that race. Then, at Atlanta, Bell won the race, getting 40 points, but did not finish in the top 10 in either stage or win the fastest lap. At COTA, Bell charged through after a late caution to overtake Kyle Busch on fresher tires and win the race. However, Bell once again finished 9th in stage 2, adding just 2 points on top of 40 for his win. Phoenix was his best points race so far this season, as he finished in the top 5 in each stage, picking up 57 points for the race. Meanwhile, Byron has received over 40 points in three of the four races, proving that consistency matters over wins in the regular season, a stark contrast to the current playoff format.

However, that doesn’t mean that Christopher Bell is tempering expectations. Far from it. With only four races completed, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver knows that being in the mix for the top spot is more important than being first at this stage of the competition. Knowing that winning the Bill France Cup is a marathon, not a sprint, the 30-year-old is taking it one race at a time. He aims to become the first driver since Kyle Busch in 2019 to win the regular series championship for Joe Gibbs Racing, and it’s worth noting that Busch also went on to win the championship that season!

Ultimately, Bell is looking for redemption. After narrowly missing out on Championship 4 last year following the race manipulation-marred Martinsville race and his infamous wall-ride attempt, Bell said, “I feel cheated out of a chance to compete for a championship.” So, the No. 20 Toyota racer is not getting complacent after his bright start to the season.

Sharing his expectations, the driver said, “Obviously, I haven’t ever won the regular season championship, but that is definitely the goal.” With the opportunity to make it four-in-a-row at Las Vegas on the horizon, the Oklahoman seems to be well on his way to achieving this feat. However, time will tell if he can sustain his red-hot form until the playoffs begin.

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Kevin Harvick worried about Joe Gibbs Racing’s start

Joe Gibbs Racing couldn’t have asked for a better start. The team has already notched three wins in the opening four races, thanks to Christopher Bell’s form after the season-opening Daytona 500. Denny Hamlin also narrowly missed out on victory at Phoenix Raceway, finishing just behind his rival at the Shriners Children’s 500. Chase Briscoe won JGR’s first-ever Daytona 500 pole, and Denny Hamlin also ran in the top 2 on the last lap at the Daytona 500 until getting wrecked out of the race with a caution. However, despite the performances exceeding expectations, NASCAR legend Kevin Harvick is worried about whether they can remain consistent from now until the end of the season.

Revealing his concerns, the 2014 Cup Series winner candidly said, “The only thing that worries me at this point is just so much success in the beginning of the year that they aren’t working, you know, they’re not going to have that same motivation that some of the guys that are not there will to gain that edge as they go through the year. But right now? They are lights out.”

Well, despite Harvick’s reservations, Christopher Bell sees the regular season championship itself as a huge motivator. Bell added, “I’m not really concerned about leading the points right now… Once we get to race 24, 25, 26… That’s a huge carrot, and I will for sure be chasing it.” As far as Las Vegas goes, Bell is looking at it as a prelude to the fall playoff race, which he narrowly lost to Joey Logano last year. “What makes Vegas super important is that it’s in the Round of 8… That fall Vegas race is everything, and there’s no better tune-up for it than the spring Vegas race,” Bell said, underscoring his mindset of aiming for playoff wins this early into the season.

As things stand, their rivals, Team Penske and Hendrick Motorsports, are looking on from the sidelines, hungry to make their mark in the Cup Series. As the season progresses, both teams will be making improvements to their respective Ford Mustangs and Chevrolet Camaro’s, which may result in a performance improvement. While Christopher Bell is looking more dominant than he ever has, will he be able to maintain his consistency when the going gets tough? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!