Joe Gibbs Racing drivers have been making one headline after the other. Be it Martin Truex Jr’s last full-time season before retiring, or Denny Hamlin for his races, and even the 23XI Racing lawsuit against NASCAR. While these two drivers have been covered extensively, Christopher Bell, who has been one of the top favorites for the playoffs in the last 2 years, has slipped under the radar.

Sure, Christopher Bell is second in the playoffs and has never dropped into the elimination zone, but the fact that he has been dry from a win for 14 races is alarming. With consistent top 4 finishes from the No. 20 driver throughout the season, he has been racing quite well this year. But now that we are in the top 8 of the playoffs, it’s time for him to break his dry streak if he wants a shot at the title.

What do insiders think of Christopher Bell’s chances for the title?

With three wins this season, Christopher Bell is doing quite well in the playoffs. The driver who came third and fourth in 2022 and 2023, respectively, has had a good playoff run in the last two years, especially by winning races at Homestead and Martinsville. Since 2022, he has managed to win three races during the playoffs that put him in the top 4. However, executing a winning race in the finals has been a problem. Discussing just that were people on the GoPRNLive podcast who broke down how well Bell is doing in the championship run.

Chris Knight, Kelly Crandall, and Deb Williams discussed the playoff picture on the GoPRNLive YouTube channel. That’s where Knight reflected on Christopher Bell’s wins during the playoffs in the last two seasons, only to ask the question, “Can Bell make it three in a row?” Kelly Crandall stepped up with the answer, saying, “Oh, absolutely. I think Christopher Bell is once again flying under the radar, and I did ask him about that over the weekend.”

Reinforcing the No. 20 team’s efforts, Crandall added, “They’re a team that’s just doing what they need to do. They haven’t been in danger in the playoffs; they haven’t won a race, but they’re doing what they need to—running up front, getting points, and putting themselves in the right position. But that’s another team that, on any given weekend, can go out and dominate.” We know that Christopher Bell has made it into the top 4 in 2022 and 2023, but that wouldn’t be the case if he did not manage to win at Homestead last year and at Martinsville the year before that.

Despite how well Bell is performing, Crandall explained, “So yeah, he’s someone that, as I said, I think is flying under the radar, but he shouldn’t be, because this is a team that can get it done anywhere. I truly believe that.” Now while Bell has proficiency at the upcoming tracks, Crandall stated, “These three tracks—Martinsville, maybe not so much, but these first two—it’s all about speed. You have got to be fast. I love this round because I think we’re back to our traditional, straight-up, let these eight guys go out and fight for it and see who’s still left standing.”

With no more road course races on the calendar anymore, Deb Williams weighed in with her point about how important the pit crew decisions are by saying, “And you can’t make any mistakes on pit road either. Pit road’s always critical, but it’s even going to be more so these next three races.” Williams adds the point about the pit crew, especially considering how JGR has delivered contrasting results for drivers this season. So let’s take a look at how Joe Gibbs Racing’s pit crew teams have performed recently.

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The unpredictability of Joe Gibbs Racing’s pit crew

One of the reasons that Denny Hamlin has been making headlines is because he had a less-than-satisfactory result at Kansas. Hamlin finished 7th at Kansas and although it was enough to get him through to the next round, he was unhappy with his result. The No. 11 driver believed that he could have won the race if it were not for his pit crew messing up and after the race, he revealed his frustrations.

On the other hand, Christopher Bell had a contrasting experience with his pit crew, where he publically mentioned, “Pit crew won us this race.” In the Xfinity Series, Christopher Bell stepped into the race in the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 car. Both times that Bell has driven in the Xfinity Series this year, he has won the races. Bell complimented his pit crew after the Darlington Xfinity victory, saying, “Without them, we would not have won the race.” 

From the Cup Series to the Xfinity races, Joe Gibbs Racing has some of the most talented crews in the sport, and now it’s time for them to come together to help Bell and Hamlin make it in the playoffs. Considering what we have heard about Bell’s performance this year, do you think that he could win the title? Share your thoughts in the comments below.