Christopher Bell is the Cup Series’ ‘quiet contender’. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has made it to the Championship 4 consecutive times in the last two years and has the opportunity to make it three in a row at Martinsville Speedway. Despite his impressive performances, the 29-year-old is often overlooked in title debates, as many within the NASCAR community take his reserved nature as a sign of weakness. However, the No. 20 Toyota driver has led 1,002 laps this season, more than any other driver except Kyle Larson.

The stakes are higher than ever going into the 2024 Xfinity 500, and Bell’s crew chief, Adam Stevens, has shared their strategy ahead of the penultimate race of the season. With a 29-point cushion above the elimination cutline going into the race, the JGR team is hoping to avoid nasty surprises, especially from drivers in must-win scenarios.

Bell’s crew chief reveals race strategy at Martinsville

Christopher Bell is having quite a season, isn’t he? The Oklahoma native has been Joe Gibbs Racing’s most consistent driver by far and will go into the final playoff race with plenty of optimism. After all, momentum is on his side heading into the fixture, having finished no lower than seventh in his last six races. The 29-year-old has plenty of experience of getting clutch results during the business end of the season but will be going into Martinsville with plenty of preparation so that nothing is left to chance.

Reflecting on the mindset going into the short-track race, Christopher Bell’s crew chief, Adam Stevens, said, “We all have the capability of going up there and running well in the Next-Gen cars, and it’s going to be a dogfight in the front for sure.” He went on to say, “Hopefully, we can break even with the #5 and #24 through the stages and put us in a spot in the finish where we can be 10-15 spots behind them at the finish and not have to be up there with those other 4-5 guys that are in a must-win situation.”

Adam Stevens’ cautious approach seems to be the wisest course of action, especially considering the circumstances. As things stand, William Byron is just above the elimination cutline, 7 points ahead of teammate Kyle Larson in the driver standings. Meanwhile, the likes of Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, and Chase Elliott are in must-win territory, which means that as the race progresses, the desperation to finish high will only increase. If Christopher Bell manages to avoid being in the mix going into the closing laps of the race, he has a higher chance of not retiring early.

Stevens is setting his sights clear. The crew chief said, “I can tell you if we score 34 points, we cannot get past in the points. That’s our goal going in.” The No. 20 Toyota team will be approaching the Xfinity 500 strategically, with the hope of avoiding any unnecessary drama in the high-stakes race. Apart from Tyler Reddick and Joey Logano, Christopher Bell is in the strongest playoff position among the title contenders and a spot in the Championship 4 is his to lose. However, there will be no room for complacency, given that a shot at the title is on the line at Phoenix.

Christopher Bell is hopeful about his chances

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If there’s one thing Christopher Bell has learned in his career, it’s that anything can happen in a sport as unpredictable as NASCAR. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver snatched a spot in Championship 4 during the 2022 season with a win at Martinsville Speedway, despite being seeded seventh going into the race. It was exactly the type of clutch performance his team needed to keep their title hopes alive, even though the result at Phoenix Raceway left much to be desired.

Unlike the last two years where Bell secured a victory in the Round of Eight, the 29-year-old has some work to do at Martinsville Speedway this year. Sharing his expectations, the driver said, “I feel cautiously optimistic. That’s the words that I’ve been using this week because while we do have a pretty good buffer, our competition is going to be fierce. They’re going to be fast, and they’re going to be racing for the win. It’s going to be very important for the 20 team to be right there with them, and if we do that, we could be staring at another Championship Four berth.”

Despite his playoff excellence, Christopher Bell’s record at Martinsville is not one to gloat about. The #20 JGR driver has 1 win and 3 top-10 finishes in nine races, which sounds impressive at first, but the five of the other six races at the track have seen him finish outside the top-15. This inconsistency will certainly be something on the back of his mind as he eyes that third consecutive Championship 4 berth. Given the fact that Bell does not need a win today to qualify, he will be looking to grab as many stage points as he can to extend his 29-point cushion.

This time around, Christopher Bell won’t be satisfied with just remaining in contention at Phoenix Raceway. He ended up 10th at the 1-mile oval during the 2022 season, finishing the year third in the driver standings. However, a blown brake rotor forced him to retire early from the championship race in 2023, resulting in a 36th-place finish. In many ways, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver will feel he has unfinished business on the track and will be motivated more than ever to prove his doubters wrong.