The Las Vegas race was supposed to make Christopher Bell invincible. It would have been his fourth consecutive win of the season, and folks, only a handful of drivers have managed that. And none in the next-gen era. Jimmie Johnson was the last one to do it in 2007. So it would have been quite a feat, but rather the Joe Gibbs Racing driver ended in P12. But still, he was lauded! All thanks to his quick thinking in Sin City.

So, the #20 driver started the race from P13 and was quick to gain positions. Until we reached mid-way through stage 2, he was already in P2, battling for the lead with Kyle Larson. However, that’s when Shane van Gisbergen got loose and this raised a caution flag. And like everyone, even Bell jumped on the opportunity to get a fresh set of tires. But his crew wasn’t having the best days, they left the left front tire loose. This would have meant a massive penalty for the #20 team. But Bell was quick on his feet. Well…he and his crew chief. And Bell’s move impressed everyone, including Chase Briscoe.

Chase Briscoe’s newfound respect for Christopher Bell

So, here’s what happened…Bell left his pit stall, but that was when his crew chief, Adam Stevens realized, the left front tire was loose. He on the radio yelled, “Stop at someone’s pit box…tighten the left side, tighten the left side.” Now, Bell is scanning for empty JGR pit boxes and spots the #19 guys. And thankfully Chase Briscoe was still out. And Bell caught the #19 team a bit off guard, but James Small was quick to instruct them. The #20 driver quickly got the one lug nut tightened and joined the race. And what left everyone impressed is how smoothly Bell executed all this, avoiding a much more severe penalty.

Had he not gotten that tire-tightened, it could have come off in the race and that’s a massive penalty. 2 laps of hold-off and two members of the crew suspended for two whole races. Had this happened, Bell would have not gotten a good finish at Vegas. And it would have also affected his next race, not having his best guys with him. And this mess had Chase Briscoe confused at first. Talking about the moment, Briscoe said, “Yeah I didn’t see it, what happened. But yeah I was just rolling in the middle of turn 1 and turn 2, and (crew chief) James (Small) came on the radio and was screaming about the left front tire. (I’m wondering) what is going on?”

Then he finally understood the situation. And when often a driver would have panicked, Bell remained calm. That’s what impressed Chase Briscoe, “Super heads up. Smart by the 20. You know, obviously I wish we could have done that with our tire. But yeah it was crazy. I didn’t even know you could do that, truthfully,” he added.

And folks, NASCAR cuts drivers some slack even if they choose to pit in a teammate’s pit box or even in a competitor’s. As they believe, going on track with a loose tire is jeopardizing their own safety and everyone else’s. Like in the race, Kyle Busch had a tire come off, or previously Kyle Larson had a tire come off at Circuit of The Americas. And the #5 driver was held for two laps and also got two of his crew members suspended for the next two races. And same was the case with Busch. Had Larson and Busch thought like Bell, their day could also have been saved.

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How did Christopher Bell think so quickly?

In the 2025 season, we can see a more mature Christopher Bell. After being called stupid for accidentally revealing Chase Briscoe’s entry in JGR, Bell has gained back the respect this year. Got a spot on the playoff committee and is a strong voice their representing the driver faction. So clearly he’s gained NASCAR’s respect. And with his performance, first the three wins, and now this quick thinking, he’s got the entire NASCAR community in his corner.

And Bell, explaining the exact moment said, “I saw the 19 (Briscoe) out the corner of my eye. I was pointing like, ‘I’m getting left. I’m getting left.’ Obviously, guys are coming out of their box. Fortunately, he wasn’t in there. I guess he was a couple of laps down at that point. Everyone gave way for me to get left and get into his box. I don’t know how much it helped, though, because I still had to go to the back. At least we didn’t lose a wheel.”

But still, the #20 driver was disappointed for not being able to join Bill Elliott in the elite club of 4 consecutive wins. “It was just a bummer. I thought that the performance in the car wasn’t what held us back. Certainly, we got in position there in Stage 2 before the pit road mishap. I struggled on restarts when I was in the back of the pack, and you’re working on your car to get it to turn better with no downforce on it,” Bell added. Let’s see if he can get his fourth at Homestead Miami. It won’t be a consecutive win, but it would still be great to get four wins this early on in the season.

Anyway, what did you think of Christopher Bell’s move? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.