Lately, Christopher Bell has been a qualifying machine. Three consecutive pole wins in the round of 16, 6 poles in the last 15 races, and a pole at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Last weekend, Christopher Bell stared down at his haters who had trolled him saying that he was perhaps too soft while he raced Kyle Larson and failed to snatch the lead the week prior to the 4EVER 400. But there’s an underlying misery to all of this.
A veteran NASCAR stalwart expressed how Christopher Bell has always been doubted and hence denied the spotlight that he deserves at all moments. Almost every time Bell has won, he has had to share the glory with someone else. NBC reporter Nate Ryan seemed in agreement and perhaps even the spectators will be.
HMS legend reveals Christopher Bell’s motivating factor
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When a pioneer driver wins a NASCAR race, people undoubtedly sing praises for him. But what happens when an underdog like Michael McDowell wins? The craze seems to double in the unexpected victory. Everyone seems to claim that they had known from the beginning that this man had it in him. Funny, isn’t it? But for Christopher Bell, it’s not even that simple. He has his own kind of problems tumbling after him.
When Christopher Bell won last year at Martinsville Speedway and punched his way into Championship 4, the young JGR icon was moved into tears of joy, as he spoke his heart out during a post-race interview. But guess what people were talking about? No, it wasn’t Bell’s victory. As many might have already figured, it was Ross Chastain‘s infamous video game move of scraping the wall and gaining multiple priceless spots to make it into the top 4.
That single move, made the Trackhouse Racing sensation’s name a staple for the media houses over the following weeks. And Bell’s victory, remaining shrouded in the hype revolving around Chastain’s antics. But Christopher Bell didn’t care. The belief that actions speak louder than words had led him to predict that if everyone in the #20 JGR team did their jobs, they had a chance of winning the Cup Series title this year.
To think that he said it 7 weeks prior to his most recent win goes a long way to show how confident this athlete is in his team and, above all, in himself. Steve Letarte exclaimed, “I’m gonna give credit to the driver; this is 7 weeks ago (that he) made that statement. Maybe all of us didn’t give him enough credit.”
“You think of the emotion it took last year for him to get there, needing to win Martinsville,” said Letarte, “And then he wins Martinsville and Ross Chastain has like, one of the best moves in NASCAR history.” Letarte felt like it was the doubts against him that kept him alive and moving forward. Perhaps Bell thrives in the face of adversity. “Keep doubting us. Keep underestimating us. He’s not saying that, but is that the motivation of Christopher Bell?” Letarte exclaimed.
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“Mark my words, when the words come out, he still won’t be a favorite,” he roared. Meanwhile, another NASCAR vet was in utter disbelief when Christopher Bell and his crew chief Adam Stevens did the unthinkable after they had reached what perhaps, you could call their worst point in last weekend’s run.
The Mayor pointed out the most monumental moment for the number 20 team in the entire year
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Christopher Bell lost the race to Kyle Larson last week by a minuscule of 0.082 seconds. Not getting the win, even after being so close to it, had surely tasted bitter for Bell. However, he followed it up with a valorous victory at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Needless to say, his journey to the victory lane wasn’t devoid of problems.
Owing to a bad pit stop, Bell fell back to 18th in Stage 2. On top of that, Adam Stevens and his crew continued making adjustments to the Bell’s Toyota as the speedster was dangerously close to falling one lap down. With an average running position of 11.1, Bell had not run a single green flag lap in the top 5 until the 221st lap of the 267-lap long race.
But the team didn’t give up and hit the home run when it was needed the most. In a three-way conversation between pit reporter Marty Snider, NBC motorsport writer Nate Ryan, and himself, Jeff Burton said, “I thought it was huge. You think about the disappointment from last week, they’re leading, have a chance to win the race, come down pit road, get beat out of the pits, last lap dash at Larson, can’t get it done. And Bell was devastated.”
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“And then you follow that up with a horrible run,” said Burton, “You were back there racing to stay in the lead lap and then the flipped the switch. Again, they had a bad pit stop. But this time they were able to overcome it. And I think, that’s the key.” He further commented, “This team has had a hard time executing this year and in a very very big moment they found a way to overcome problems on the race track, on pit road, and get the win.”
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Luckily, Bell has what he needed; a spot in the final 4. And this is his second straight year qualifying for the Championship 4. Will Bell be able to win this year? Only time will tell. Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
Read more: NASCAR Community in Shock as Racing Fanatic Exposes Cup Series’ Disappointing Milestone