Unable To Break Out Front, Christopher Bell May Fall Behind at Vegas as 2022 Misery Overshadows Joe Gibbs’ Star

The penultimate round of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs is upon us, and the first race takes us to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Saturday morning practice and qualifying will be unusual as they will most likely occur during a solar eclipse. Every driver on the grid will also hope that their stars align on Sunday. Vegas has been a happy hunting ground for a lot of people. For others, that has not been the case. One such person is Christopher Bell, who will pray that history does not repeat itself.

Christopher Bell has consistently performed so far in the playoffs. He is a master of qualifying; he has taken multiple pole positions in the playoffs so far. But he has yet to convert them into a win. Despite starting from the front of the pack, the Joe Gibbs driver has often found himself struggling in the middle of the pack. The driver of the #20 car will be hoping for a change of fortune come Sunday.

The 2022 Las Vegas playoff race was a frustrating affair for Christopher Bell

Last season, Christopher Bell had a chance of making it through to the championship race. Even if he did not win a race, a good points haul would have ensured his qualification. But his chances were drastically cut down in the very first race of the round of 8. The culprit was none other than his Toyota teammate, Bubba Wallace.

The driver of the #23 car had been fighting with Kyle Larson for track position at one point during the race. The battle between the two was intense, as nobody wanted to give an inch to the other. During the door-to-door racing action, Larson bushed Wallace into the wall. Being the hothead that he used to be, the 23XI driver decided to exact revenge.

He drove straight up to the back bumper of Larson’s #5 and hooked his car into it. The Hendrick Motorsports star was sent spinning into the track. Christopher Bell was not too far behind the drama, and he was the collateral damage. The #5 slammed into the #20 before going into the wall. The JGR man’s car was heavily damaged, and he was unable to continue the race.

This set Christopher Bell back by a long way from as far as points were concerned. The JGR man was able to recover and make it through to the final 4, but it was not a pretty scene. But this season may be a different story. Bell does not have that many points to rely on, given the competition around him. Winning seems to be the best way forward but his record does little to suggest that he has a chance at Las Vegas.

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has started at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the Cup Series seven times but has never won. He has finished in the top five once and the top 10 three times. His best finish, P5, came earlier this season itself, which will give him a bit of confidence. However, his average finish of 19.6 does not suggest that he can make it to victory road.

While Bubba Wallace was the reason why Christopher Bell crashed out of the Las Vegas race, it might be someone else this year. And the JGR man believes that he has an idea about who will go after him on Sunday.

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In a recent interview, the driver of the #20 recalled an incident from the Charlotte race last week. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver hit Daniel Suarez in the back, which caused the 31-year-old to crash out. Christopher Bell said that it was unintentional but noted that he would have to keep his head on a swivel.

“I reached out to him and told him that it wasn’t intentional, but, we, I’m sure he’s going to be coming after me, which is not ideal going into the next four races. It’s a mistake, and I’ll have to keep that in the back of my head moving forward,” he said as per NBC.

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The main thing that will be on Christopher Bell’s mind come Sunday will be winning the race. Redemption will be on the JGR star’s mind as he looks to make the championship race for the second straight season. Will he be able to do it? Let us know your thoughts.