Earlier, Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell became the second driver to reach the Championship 4. After Kyle Larson won at Las Vegas, the pressure was on to fill the three remaining spots. Needless to say, Christopher Bell stepped up to the plate and stamped his intentions. As most would agree, it was great to see the 28-year-old come from almost nowhere, to become a title contender almost overnight.

Let’s face it, after his on-track antics this year, Denny Hamlin has become a favorite and many are backing him to finally win his maiden Cup title. Meanwhile, Martin Truex Jr has just come off a nightmare 2022 campaign and is back on the money. On the other hand, Ty Gibbs is the rookie of the bunch. It would not be fair to expect him to be a title contender in his first season, piling the pressure on him. Amid Hamlin and Truex getting most of the attention, Christopher Bell is barely getting a second glance.

Will this Homestead-Miami win finally get Christopher Bell noticed?

Without a doubt, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver has announced himself as a major threat after months of flying under the radar. The #20 driver even confessed that he did not expect to win the race that weekend.

As it happened, he was suffering from balance issues and it dropped him as low as 22nd after Stage 2. Fortunately, he steadily worked his way up the order and eventually lucked out with a late caution in Stage 3.

After the race, Bell said, “I can’t even say I was thinking of a win at any point in the day except maybe the last 10 laps. Today was a whirlwind for sure. To be able to overcome and to be in that bad of a spot … it was just incredible that difference a couple pit stop adjustments will do to your car.”

In all honesty, it was not easy for Bell, as he took the lead with 15 laps to spare. However, he soon had his hands full with Ryan Blaney hounding him all the way. Since Blaney is also a rival for a Championship 4 spot, Christopher Bell knew that he could not let him pass, under any circumstance. This win was also crucial because the #20 driver was below the playoff cut line in the build-up to Homestead-Miami. It is also worth mentioning that he led a mere 26 of 267 laps, but those 26 laps were the ones that mattered the most.

READ MORE: Joe Gibbs Finally Confesses Real Feelings on Martin Truex Jr’s Failures After Regular Season Win: “I Don’t Think Anything’s a Given”

Could This Be Bell’s Best-Ever Cup Series Campaign?

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It’s easy to forget that Bell has had the shortest NASCAR career compared to his Playoff rivals. The 28-year-old’s Cup Series debut came in 2020 for the erstwhile Leavine Family Racing in the #95 car. From there, Joe Gibbs obviously saw something in him that made him reach out and recruit Bell for the #20 Toyota. Since then, the driver flew under the radar for a while, as teammates Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr, and Kyle Busch took the spotlights.

His first career Cup Series win came in 2021 at the Daytona road course. This should have been enough to show that he meant business and hit the ground running. However, that was his only win of the season and he ended the campaign in 12th place. Considering that his debut campaign saw him finish in 20th place, it was a heck of an improvement. Last year, was a lot kinder, as he slowly got to grips with the Joe Gibbs Racing machine, and bagged three wins.

Coming to the 2023 Cup Series season, Christopher Bell has nabbed two wins so far. His first was at the Bristol Motor Speedway’s final dirt race, and his second and more recent one was a crucial triumph. In other words, he and Kyle Larson are under no pressure, as the paddock heads to Martinsville in the coming week. As things stand, the worst that he can finish is 4th, but he will try and gun for the championship.

Why are Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr grabbing all the headlines?

Among the Joe Gibbs Racing quartet, Hamlin and Truex Jr are clearly the strongest drivers. They both have three wins each and are veterans in their field, so obviously they are the favorites. Hamlin has always been a championship contender, having reached the Championship 4 six times in his career. Although he has never won the title, it would be unwise to rule him out of contention, and the 2023 campaign was no different.

Meanwhile, Truex Jr is a former champion, and he is on a bit of a redemption arc. Since winning the championship, he had been a consistent Playoff contender until the 2022 season. Last year was undoubtedly his worst season to date, as Truex Jr went winless for the first time since 2014. Now, he has more than made up for it with his three wins and is still in with a shot to reach the 2023 Championship 4. However, next weekend’s Cup race at Martinsville will be his and Hamlin’s last chance to reach the final 4.

Christopher Bell will be keen to shock everyone

Until now, not much thought was given to Christopher Bell. So it would have been all the more sweet and gratifying when he came from almost nowhere to win at Homestead-Miami. Now the only question remains about who will join him and Kyle Larson in the season finale. Without a doubt, Larson will help his teammate William Byron so they could bring the title back to Hendrick Motorsports.

That doesn’t mean that Bell is alone in the championship fight. He will have the aforementioned Hamlin and Truex Jr, and they outnumber the Hendrick Motorsports Playoff drivers. The trick now is for Hamlin, Truex Jr, or Byron to join them in the Championship 4 berth. At most, one of them will be forced to walk away disappointed, or in the worst-case scenario, all three. This is because one must not forget that Tyler Reddick, Chris Buescher, and Ryan Blaney are still in the fight.

WATCH THIS STORY: Kyle Larson’s Victory and Respect for Christopher Bell