LOUDON, N.H.: From Christopher Bell’s first laps at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, he has shown tremendous proficiency.
When it comes to keeping a secret? Well…
On Friday, Bell was asked about assuming more of leadership role at Joe Gibbs Racing with Martin Truex Jr. departing at the end of the season. A slip of the tongue revealed what has been speculated for the last few weeks, that Chase Briscoe is expected to join the Joe Gibbs Racing fold.
“I have definitely grown in confidence telling the team what we need inside of our cars with experience, but week in and week out, a different guy might lead the discussion,” Bell said. “Every time we go into our Monday meetings, it could be whoever has a good race that week. Plenty of times, it has been Ty (Gibbs), and plenty of times, it has been Martin or myself or Denny (Hamlin).
“I don’t think there really is a leadership role in that aspect—and whenever Chase (Briscoe) comes into the car….(long pause, nervous laugh)…whenever we have a new driver…whenever we have a new driver in the 19 car, whoever that is, they’re experience level will dictate how much input they will have in the team.”
Bell actually prompted Briscoe to inquire about the job when it became clear Truex was seriously considering stepping away from the No. 19 Toyota at the end of 2024. Bell’s friendship with Briscoe dates back to their days of racing online—then on dirt—long before they joined the NASCAR ranks. Perhaps the gaffe was simply Bell’s desire playing out.
Certainly, coming into Loudon, Bell has every reason to feel relaxed. His resume is remarkable at the Magic Mile. In his debut in the Craftsman Truck Series in 2016, Bell finished second in his first start and won the following year. He tied his mentor Kyle Busch with three consecutive Xfinity Series wins—and will attempt to get his fourth victory in four NXS starts on Saturday.
While Bell’s transition to Cup with Leavine Family Racing at Loudon wasn’t exactly smooth, once he joined JGR in 2021, he finished second in the No. 20 Toyota and won the next year. Bell was running eighth in last year’s Crayon 301 when he backed into the Turn 4 wall with 14 laps remaining in the race.
Still, his overall results in the Granite State have been rock solid.
“It definitely has me excited about the opportunity to continue my Xfinity streak and get another Cup win,” Bell said. “But I can’t stress enough how hard it is to win any NASCAR race with everything that goes on during the event. Everyone has to do their job on the entire team.
“While I do have confidence that we are going to show up and we are going to have speed, and I’m going to be able to get around the race track at a good pace, that doesn’t mean success by any means. I’m confident that we are going to be in contention, and have a shot at it, but everything has to go right in order to win.”
Although Busch holds the NXS record with six victories at the track, no driver has won four consecutive races. With rain canceling NXS practice and qualifying, Bell will start 23rd.
Certainly, racing from the middle of the pack at Loudon will prove challenging for Bell on Saturday
“It is a very special stat, and a special opportunity I have in front of me to make it four-for-four,” Bell said. “What I attribute it to is great cars, great teams, great pit crews, great crew chiefs. In NASCAR racing, in general, it is extremely hard because of how many people that have influence on the result. If one guy makes a mistake on your team, then you are not going to win the race.
“Three times, it has happened where all of us pulled the rope in the same direction, and nobody made a mistake. I understand doing it for a fourth time is a tall ask, but I’m excited as a challenge.”
Follow Lee Spencer on Twitter @CandiceSpencer or email her at: [email protected].
