Christopher Bell had some good luck this past week. But how he clinched victory has sparked hundreds of questions. At the 2024 Coca-Cola 600, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver was declared the winner after the race ended the race early because of bad weather. While fans were enraged, a win is a win! However, in a recent conversation with Kevin Harvick, he discussed the criticism he received.

Some of the objections came from SMT data. NASCAR captures every move a driver makes with data. This can be a blessing or a curse. The SMT data essentially records information on a driver’s lap times, speed, throttle, brake input, wheel inputs, tire temperatures, and more. By studying this data, drivers can fine-tune their driving style and optimize performance. While it all sounds great, sometimes drivers can face criticism, and this is factly what Bell faced.

Christopher Bell talks about his modus operandi when racing!

Driving style or a particular MO—everyone has a different way of racing. Sometimes that works well with teams, and sometimes it doesn’t. Christopher Bell said that his MO did cause acclamation issues between him and his crew chief back in 2021.

Confronting Kevin Harvick and stating that he had seen and studied Harvick’s SMT data, Christopher Bell stated on NASCAR on FOX, “I have a funny story about SMT and you in particular. So, like everyone has their own style of driving right and correct me if I’m wrong, but you like to move the steering wheel. Every time I look at your data like you’re, you’re, you’re back and forth on the wheel, your lines are very up and down, up and down.” 

What did Harvick respond to it? “I have choppy hands. That’s the way I like to describe it.”

Bell used this response to build his case. “Yes, so whether you’re tight or loose, it very much appears loose in data whenever you’re looking at it because typically that or at least for me whenever I’m driving, I’m more of like a you know, hold the wheel steady and honestly this is what hurt myself and Adam Stevens trying to get acclimated to each other in 2021.”

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver thus felt that SMT data was a nice edge. However, he couldn’t stop from mentioning that it can hurt drivers mentally if the team doesn’t put their faith in their drivers. But one thing is clear. Bell closely studied Harvick’s data.

However, he isn’t the only one. Back in 2022, Michael McDowell noticed that certain drivers were routinely winning at Daytona and Talladega. They were Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, and Kevin Harvick. So what did he do? As reported by Sports Business Journal, McDowell sourced their SMT data and tried to figure out their winning ways. He stated that while the data does not provide a black-and-white picture of things, he had some great takeaways (though he didn’t mention what).

But let’s come back to Bell. It looks like SMT is not the only criticism the JGR star has been facing! What else is in the mix?

Christopher Bell faces fan scrutiny similar to Bubba Wallace’s reception

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Despite winning, Christopher Bell was booed by NASCAR fans after he was crowned the winner at the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. As the NASCAR fans had to wait for two hours only to have Christopher Bell on stage and give him the win, they were evidently angry. 

While Bubba Wallace is used to this behavior from fans, Christopher Bell isn’t. Yet, in the interview with Kevin Harvick, he showed a mature sentiment, stating how he understood how the fans felt. He said, “I’ll be honest. That was the first time in my career that I’ve gotten booed in victory lane. I knew that the situation was not ideal to have that long rain delay and everyone has their hopes up that we’re going to go racing again and then they call it later in the evening… I understand why the boos were there.”

In fact, according to Bell, he had fallen asleep when NASCAR announced that he won the race and he himself was taken aback. Booed or not, the JGR driver surely exudes the maturity of a seasoned driver. And this is probably where the 29-year-old can learn a thing or two from his teammate Denny Hamlin.

Hamlin, who finished fifth at 600, is perhaps one of the most hated drivers. He has been booed in celebration several times. Remember him winning the NASCAR Cup Series auto race on March 17 in Bristol? Well, when he climbed from his No. 11 Toyota, the angry crowd disapproved of his win. However, Hamlin is used to fans reacting this way. And perhaps Christopher Bell could use a bit of his dismissiveness toward the crowd. What do you think?