to have Adam Gregory Smith has been a blessed resource for Joe Gibbs Racing as crew chief across the NASCAR Series. He was first paired with the #18 driven by Kyle Busch, and is now managing the #20 driven by Christopher Bell in the NASCAR Cup Series.

Adam Smith proved his worth to JGR in his Cup Series debut itself, back in 2015, when he managed to bring home the championship with Kyle Busch. He is the second-only crew chief to have achieved this feat in the NASCAR top series.

But JGR is facing a tough situation at the moment with having to replace Adam. And Christopher Bell is in a debilitating fix.

Why is Christopher Bell’s crew chief being replaced?

It was recently announced by NASCAR that Adam Smith has suffered a major injury during his family vacation. He had to undergo surgery to repair both of his knees as a result, reported Bob Pockrass in a tweet. Fortunately, the surgery was successful and Adam will be overseeing the races from the team’s HQs. Bob commented to his post, “While he’s on the mend, Adam Stevens will be at the JGR headquarters during the races and communicating with the team.”

Chris Sherwood, #20’s car chief, has been made the crew chief for the remaining regular-season races, starting with the one at Richmond Raceway. But it’s just a temporary substitution until Adam’s return, and not a permanent replacement. Christopher and Adam have had phenomenal past two seasons, with an entry into the Championship 4 each year.

The Baby-faced Assassin has won three races in 2024 so far, and is way within the NASCAR Playoffs bracket. Obviously, he must have an elaborate strategy planned out Adam for the upcoming races this season. The same might need some revisiting with the new crew chief in place. Every outcome will depend on how well Bell is able to tackle his mental struggles barely coming out of the longest period of bad races earlier this season.

Christopher Bell is at the eighth rank in the ongoing season and has a good chance of improving it further by looking at his consistent performances during the season’s second half. It is the earnest hope that Christopher Bell is able to crack a chemistry with Chris, similar to the one he has with Adam. The season is at a crucial juncture, and there is no scope for any mistakes now.

NASCAR fans were quick at expressing concerns for Adam, while, at the same time, praying for Bell’s strength.

What do the fans have to say about this momentous change for Christopher Bell?

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There is no doubt that Bell has shown a lot of resilience through this season. For a race driver, the toughest battles are fought in their heads, where they fight their demons. Once those are put to rest, the journey becomes not only smoother but rather enjoyable.

Many users took to X to show solidarity with the dynamic duo. A user commented on Bob’s post, “Prayers hope he makesa full recovery” Another one wrote, “He wasn’t driving a sprint car I hope! Seriously hope Adam recovers quickly”. Yet another one added, “Not often the crew chief misses races due to injury. Hope he’s alright.” It is true that crew chiefs take their jobs way too seriously, and only in rare situations like these do they consider a break.

Some other users even tried to be funny, but wryly wrote, “He wasn’t driving a sprint car I hope! Seriously hope Adam recovers quickly” One of the users was worried about the implications on Bell, as they wrote, “Will he get a waiver?” But that’s an unreasonable thing to expect and wouldn’t be fair to other teams or drivers. As they say, the show must go on.

The race is due in a week, so the team still has time to figure out their move and get in the best possible shape before the track. This Cook Out 400 is going to test Bell to his maximum potential, that’s for sure.