“I’d be lying if I said I had any idea what we’ve even accomplished this year.” In 2015, Adam Stevens pulled off the impossible. In his first season as a NASCAR Cup Series crew chief, he guided Kyle Busch to a championship victory. He became only the second rookie crew chief in history to win a title in his debut season. Kevin Harvick and Rodney Childers were the ones who set up the stage for such milestones with their triumph back in 2014.

It wasn’t an easy ride. Busch missed the first 11 races due to injury, but when he returned, Stevens worked magic. With four wins in five races, Stevens led Busch to a fairytale championship run. NASCAR had its newest star, and Adam Stevens was the one calling the shots. But as quickly as their success came, so did their fallout. By the end of 2020, Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) decided to split the dominant duo. This decision shocked many, considering how well Stevens and Busch had worked together. Notably, the iconic pair won more than 25 races in five seasons and qualified for championship 4 in every season. They also won two championships together in 2015 and 2019.

However, after their fallout, Busch failed to put up a show. He struggled to win races with Richard Childress Racing’s No.8 team. Meanwhile, Stevens was paired with Christopher Bell—an undeniably talented driver but far from the proven winner Busch was. The move raised eyebrows. Could Stevens replicate his magic with Bell? Fast forward to 2025, and the answer is a resounding yes. The narrative has completely changed, and Joe Gibbs is struggling to explain it. The same man who orchestrated Busch’s improbable championship run has now turned Christopher Bell into a title-hungry driver.

Joe Gibbs fails to explain Christopher Bell’s growth trajectory

Christopher Bell has taken the 2025 season by storm. His latest win at Phoenix marked his third consecutive victory, making him the first driver in the Next-Gen era to pull off such a feat. The win didn’t come easy. Bell had to hold off teammate Denny Hamlin in one of the closest finishes in Phoenix Raceway history—crossing the line just 0.049 seconds ahead. This was an amazing turnaround for Bell, who finished his 2024 season with a 19-race winless streak.

This amazing comeback also stunned his team owner, Joe Gibbs. When asked about the sudden changes in Bell’s fate, Gibbs lacked words to praise his driver. “Yeah. I don’t know. I’ve got to tell you the truth. I don’t know if I have an answer for that. For sure,” Gibbs admitted. Notably, Bell’s turnaround from 2024 to 2025 has been remarkable. Last season, despite not winning for 19 races, he was quietly consistent. He secured 9 top-five finishes in the last 12 races but never found Victory Lane. Many believed he had the speed, but bad luck and strategic missteps held him back.

Now, Bell and his crew chief, Adam Stevens, have positioned themselves as early favorites for the championship. The turnaround has been nothing short of remarkable. Bell has shown he can win on any track—superspeedway, road course, and intermediate. Stevens, who built his career on adaptability, has once again proven he’s a crew chief built for winning. Joe Gibbs also admitted the bond between the duo.

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“I think we all kind of watch him (Bell) and the talent he has. I think it shows up. Adam, you can tell he has a gift for being a crew chief. He’s been to the Final Four about nine times. And so, just appreciate them and how hard they work at it,” he added. Notably, Gibbs’ praise for Stevens isn’t without merit. The Ohio native started his NASCAR journey as an engineer for Tony Stewart.

After Stewart’s departure in 2008, Stevens continued his journey with Joey Logano and the No. 20 JGR team. The duo dominated the scenes by winning 9 races in just two seasons. With a major overhaul of the team, Stevens once again paired up with Busch in 2013, and this move paid off big time. Between 2013 and 14, the duo registered  10 wins, 46 top-five finishes and 47 top-10s in 52 total Xfinity starts together. In 2015, JGR decided to give Stevens the command of Busch’s Cup team, and the rest is history.

The duo dominated the next five years by finishing in Championship 4 every year, including two wins in 2015 and 2019. However, in 2020, Joe Gibbs decided to separate the duo as Stevens went on to join hands with Christopher Bell. Since then, the duo has been trying hard to make a statement. Now, in the ongoing season, their dominance is visible as Bell sits atop the points table. But while Joe Gibbs should be celebrating, he’s also dealing with the internal competition within the team.

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Gibbs feels the heat of internal battles!

Joe Gibbs has been here before. He’s seen what happens when two dominant drivers in his stable start clashing. The last time it happened, it was Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin in the 2010 NASCAR All-Star Race—a conflict that cost JGR dearly. Now, history seems to be repeating itself. The late-race battle between Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin created tension within the team.

Notably, Bell and Hamlin have been running up front all season. While Bell has stolen the spotlight with his three-peat, Hamlin has been equally strong. He was in contention at Daytona until a last-lap wreck. He finished second in Phoenix, missing out on a win by just 0.049 seconds. After the COTA race, Hamlin revealed that he didn’t like the sight of his teammate winning the race: “There is nobody that I hate seeing win more than my teammate.”

Gibbs isn’t blind to the potential fireworks. When Bell and Hamlin battled at Phoenix, he admitted to feeling sick to his stomach. “I was ready to upchuck,” he said. He knows how quickly a competitive rivalry can turn into a destructive one. With both drivers eyeing a championship, things could get ugly. The battle lines are already being drawn. The driver of the No. 11 car is trying to solidify his NASCAR career with a title win, whereas, Bell want to clear the final hurdle and start racking championships before hitting his peak years.

Bell has all the momentum, but Hamlin isn’t going to back down. For Gibbs, it’s both a dream and a nightmare. He has two of the fastest drivers in NASCAR—but keeping them from tearing each other apart may be his biggest challenge yet.