With Phoenix in the Bag, Christopher Bell Readies a Third Successive Championship Bid

Christopher Bell was crowned the king of the desert after he roared to victory at Phoenix Raceway. His No. 20 Toyota broke a record by stealing the thunder from the three-win streak of the Chevrolets. Toyotas in general dominated the race, combining to lead 298 of 312 laps. Bell’s Toyota car has stayed loyal to him in past Phoenix races, except for the most crucial ones.

Bell is the only driver who has broken into the Championship 4 category in each of the last two seasons. Although a Cup Championship has evaded him, he might make it into the most anticipated playoff race of NASCAR three times in a row.

Christopher Bell may be primed to slay the dragon this time

NASCAR has high hopes for him, as they are confident he will again qualify for the final playoff race. However, it remains a mystery whether he can replicate his spring victory in the winter race in Phoenix. NASCAR posted a photo of victorious Bell on X. They tweeted, “A sign of things to come? The spring @phoenixraceway winner has reached the #Championship4 in three out of the last four years.”

Bell wowed his team and fans by battling into the front row after starting 13th in the Shriner’s Children 500 race. He again proved that a loss in laps is not a big deal when he thundered to the lead from 20th place on the final restart. Bell led 50 laps before securing the checkered flag.

If only the 29-year-old racer had the same fate just one race earlier at the Arizona oval, he would have been Cup champion. In 2023, Bell was a Championship 4 eligible driver, but fate had other plans for him. He was knocked out of contention after a brake rotor failure threw a wrench into his winning plans.

Christopher Bell is not alone in narrowly missing a chance to claim the Championship crown. Denny Hamlin won the 2019 November race in Phoenix, but incidentally, that was before it was a championship race. William Byron claimed the race victory in March 2023, but Phoenix did not favor him when he came back in November. The most glaring miss was of Ross Chastain, who literally won the Championship race last year. But as fate would have it, he was not eligible for the Cup crown. Chastain’s incident was the first in the 10-year history of the Championship 4 format.

Coming back to the Phoenix race, Christopher Bell’s victory was the result of a strong rapport and communication with his pit crew.

Bell’s crew member made a crucial decision to push him to victory

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In a NASCAR race, the spontaneous decisions you take mid-race make or break your fate. While other drivers were struggling with tire and fuel strategies, Christopher Bell’s pit crew took the right call. The No. 20 team gave him every possible advantage for passing.

Read More: “I Came…Here a Sad Man” – Christopher Bell Opens Up About His Struggles at and Around Phoenix

Michael Hicks, the car’s rear-tire changer, shared the reason he asked Bell to make a 12-second stop in Stage 3. “The wheel didn’t make it over the drive pins, and it was stuck,” Hicks said. “I had to stay on the lugnut just to ensure and watch that the back of the wheel made it to the backplate. Sometimes, you have to stay there longer to ensure the wheel’s tight.”

Bell was ecstatic after securing his 7th Cup victory. “Just super proud to be on this No. 20 car; this Rheem Camry was amazing today. I feel like we have [the] capability of running races like this a lot. Hopefully, this is the first of many this year.”

Christopher Bell has entered the winners’ bandwagon in 2024. Let’s see how many more wins he stuffs into his bag for the remainder of the season.