Christopher Bell arrived at New Hampshire Motor Speedway riding high from his recent victory at Bristol and recalling his prior win at Loudon against Chase Briscoe. While the weekend initially seemed promising for Bell and his No. 20 Toyota, on track results told a different story, as the car lacked the necessary speed to defend his title effectively. Bell’s qualifying position slipped to 19th, hindering his competitiveness early in the Mobil 1 301 race.
Despite a strong performance during the event where Bell earned five stage points in Stage 2 and fought back to finish sixth, the result was below expectations for both the driver and Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR). As Bell watched Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney dominate the race, it became clear that qualifying difficulties were a key obstacle he must overcome.
Qualifying Performance Emerges as Critical Focus for Title Defense
When addressing his team’s overall form and title chances, Bell was direct about the core issue facing his campaign: qualifying. The driver acknowledged that consistent advancement in race play hinges heavily on starting position, which has been a point of frustration throughout the season.
What we have to do better is we’ve got to start qualifying better. That is mission-critical. We’re frustrated a little bit of how we’ve qualifying especially compared to our team cars. I say that because the team cars are the barometer. If the team cars are qualifying well, then you should be qualifying well too. And, through the summer months, we couldn’t even put it in the top 10.
– Christopher Bell, Driver
Bell highlighted that while his race pace often matches his competitors, starting races deep in the field forces him to work harder for points and track position. Improvement in qualifying would not only enhance his starting spots but also increase the opportunity to lead laps and control stages.
We’ve made gains on our qualifying performance and now it seems like we can consistently put it in the top 10, but our teammates are consistently putting it on the front row. Whenever you get deeper into the Playoffs, you have to be scoring stage points, and a lot of the stage points are dictated by your qualifying effort. So, yeah, that’s mission critical. We’ve got to start qualifying better, and along the lines of qualifying better, that’s how you lead laps.
– Christopher Bell, Driver
Car Balance and Team Execution Remain Areas Needing Refinement
Bell pointed to car balance as a major factor in the qualifying struggles faced by his crew. While his teammates at JGR like Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe have consistently dialed in setups that produce strong qualifying runs, Bell’s vehicle has frequently fallen short of hitting the ideal balance for single-lap speed. This gap highlights a combination of challenges stemming from both the car’s setup and Bell’s execution on the track.
All of us – myself, Adam (Stevens, crew chief), the engineers, we all have to just buckle down and improve that if we want to go deeper here,
– Christopher Bell, Driver
This acknowledgment underscores Bell’s focus and determination to work closely with his crew chief Adam Stevens and the engineers to resolve these nuanced performance issues before the intensity of the playoffs escalates.
Standing in the Playoffs and Upcoming Opportunities at Kansas
After the New Hampshire race, Bell sits fourth in the playoff standings, maintaining a 29-point cushion above the elimination cutline. This position keeps him on track for advancing to the Round of 8 for the fourth consecutive year as he pursues his first NASCAR Cup Series championship.
Looking ahead, Bell will compete next at Kansas Speedway—a 1.5-mile oval where he holds a solid record including three top-five finishes and an average career finish of 12.4 in 11 starts. Last year’s seventh-place result at Kansas offers a positive outlook as Bell aims to convert his qualifying gains into stronger race outcomes during this critical phase of the playoffs.
