“Man, these road course races are just so much fun.” Christopher Bell’s elated sentiments were clear after winning the COTA race. Curiously, he gave off the same feeling last weekend after winning in Atlanta. “I love superspeedways,” he said. If these comments start getting a habit this season, then the rest of the Cup Series garage will need to be cautious. After all, this is the second time any racer has ever won two out of the first three NASCAR races after Kevin Harvick, who achieved the same feat in 2018.

Christopher Bell delivered a spectacular victory this past Sunday. He was far outside the top ten when the race began, starting from 19th place. The JGR driver spun out in the ‘Calamity corner’ (Turn 1) in the very first lap! Being the fighter he is, Bell regained control over his car and dashed to catch up with the others. Like in Atlanta last week, Bell circled out the 2.4-mile Circuit of the Americas track for another victory. So his rivals need to take note of his proclivities.

A dragon on the loose: Christopher Bell

Well, NASCAR knew what it was signing up for when Christopher Bell first entered the sport. Being a successful dirt track racer beforehand, Bell lacks fear and has composure when his car starts sliding around. The No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota driver has worked on that ease for years, and we saw the perfected fruits of it recently. During the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix race, his rivals looked like dominant forces. Kyle Busch led a race-high 42 laps and William Byron hounded Bell’s back bumper. However, Bell defied all those challenges with his signature smile.

In a post-race interview with Sirius XM NASCAR, Christopher Bell laid down his opinion. That involves a deep sense of belief in his team’s ability to destroy any challenge. “It’s awesome, and I think its a testament to this team – they have no weaknesses. We can win at any racetrack at any time. And I’m really proud of these guys, they’ve been working hard to get here. And I feel like we may have a ride.” Yet Bell added a hint of caution, in tune with his humble nature. “I don’t want to speak too early, but doing good so far.” 

The No. 20 team made use of effective strategy and pit calls to work their way up from 19th place. The last few laps were amazing – Bell slightly nudged Kyle Busch’s No. 8 Chevrolet to snatch the lead off Turn 2 on lap 90. He staved off a hard-charging William Byron for the last five laps to take the victory. The obvious flexibility of the team also made Bell’s jaws drop: “It’s pretty cool. I never in a million years would have thought that I would be sitting here with 3 out of…11 Cup wins on road courses.”

But what stood out among Christopher Bell’s achievements on Sunday was probably one thing. That was the extreme care he took not to repeat the unpleasant events of last year.

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Bell’s never crossing the line again with any competitor

We all know what went down during the 2024 COTA race. Christopher Bell had knocked Kyle Busch‘s car into a spin, and a heated exchange followed on pit road. Everybody was on the edge of their seats expecting the same fallout this year. That is because Busch dominated the race and looked poised to snap his winless streak finally. He held a 2.6-second margin over Byron and a 4.0-second advantage over Bell on Lap 78 when Denny Hamlin caused the 4th and final caution. However, Christopher Bell had a superior car and stronger tires, so Busch could not keep up with his pace on lap 90.

Nevertheless, Christopher Bell was mindful throughout the ordeal. He firmly declared: “I tried to race respectfully.” Then he added how yesteryear’s memories haunted him. “I just had to redeem myself from last year…I think everyone in the garage by this point knows that I’m going to do it the right way. And last year was an oopsie on my part. Glad I didn’t have to do the same thing.” 

Sure enough, Christopher Bell got the due response from Kyle Busch – and it did not involve an aggressive threat. Busch warmly acknowledged Bell’s win: “I’ll give Christopher credit… He ran really hard and I was a complete b—head. He did a great job working me over and just doing it the right way… So congrats to him, congrats to the 20 bunch.”

With resolved conflicts and an advanced pace, Christopher Bell is all set. Look out for the No. 20 Toyota to become a formidable force throughout this season!