Christopher Bell Close Again But Still Dangerous as NASCAR Cup Chase Nears

NEWTON, Iowa – Second place, again, for Christopher Bell.

For the second NASCAR Cup Series race in a row, Bell and his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota ended in the runner-up spot. This time, he finished second to JGR teammate Ty Gibbs, who had never won in the Cup Series before this season and has now won twice this season. 

“This is what you call a bad second-place finish for sure. I don't know what else to say. Ty did a really good job. He did a great job managing the race. I could tell that he was slipping and sliding around. Similar to last week or two weeks ago with Corey Heim [at Indianapolis Motor Speedway], he just didn't make a mistake. So P2," Bell said with defeat.

Bell led 108 of 350 laps, including 37 laps before the final round of green flag pit stops. During that, Gibbs' crew chief, Tyler Allen, called for two tires while Bell's crew chief, Adam Stevens, called for four.

It was deja vu of three races:

Bell is the only winless JGR Cup driver this season despite these four races being prime opportunities to win. However, his other second-place finishes were prime chances too.

If Christopher Bell could've converted his seven second-place finishes into wins, he would've gained 140 points. He would've also taken 20 points from points leader Denny Hamlin – putting him 160 points closer to the championship lead.

Among his other championship rivals, Bell would've swung 40 points away from Ryan Blaney and 20 points away from Chase Briscoe and Ty Gibbs each to make the standings look like this:

Farther down the standings, Daniel Suarez would be 80 points above the cutline without his Coca-Cola 600 win at Charlotte Motor Speedway, instead of 100, had Bell won the 600. 

To the No. 20 team's credit, they're getting their mistakes and mishaps out of the way now before the Chase. At the reset, they're set to be sixth in the points standings if everything stays the same, which will put him in one of the prime positions to win the championship.

If Bell can get a win before the Chase begins, he could enter the Chase with hot momentum – and the odds look good for that.

Bell has finished sixth or better at Richmond Raceway in seven of his 10 Cup starts, including August 2024 when he led 122 of 400 laps before a speeding penalty cost him the win.

At New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Bell is batting .500 in the NextGen era – winning in 2022 and 2024 and setting up a great opportunity this year.

At Daytona International Speedway, Bell's statistics lag behind. However, in the last two Daytona 500s, he was in contention to win before wrecking out late in each race.

With momentum and being good everywhere, Bell could be dangerous in the Chase. He has Denny Hamlin to deal with but Hamlin may want to keep a close eye on his teammate.