Continuing the Days to Daytona series today with the #20 Joe Gibbs Racing entry. Christopher Bell and his team are coming off a second straight Championship Four appearance. It was a historical appearance too, but not in a way Bell or JGR would want. Bell was the first driver to DNF out of the championship race with a mechanical failure. That bitter bit of history might be motivation for 2024. With 37 days until cars are on track at Daytona, what will 2024 have in store for Christopher Bell and the 20 team?
#20 Joe Gibbs Racing
Driver: Christopher Bell
Crew Chief: Adam Stevens
Sponsors: DeWalt, Rheem, Interstate Batteries, Yahoo!, Sirius XM Radio
2024 Season Preview
Third Straight Championship Four
After a disappointing end to his 2023 season, Christopher Bell will look to rebound with a third straight Championship Four appearance. Bell would join Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Chase Elliott, Martin Truex Jr, and Denny Hamlin as the list of drivers to pull off that feat.
Improved Championship Four Performance
If Christopher Bell makes the Championship Four, he will look to improve upon his previous two performances. In 2022, Bell was the clear fourth best competitor in the finale. If not for Chase Elliott spinning out late in the race, Bell would have finished fourth in the standings. While last year his fourth place finish was due to a DNF, the 20 car was clearly lagging behind the other three competitors as Bell was losing ground before the brake rotor failure.
Waiting for a Breakout Year
Will 2024 be the year that Christopher Bell finally breaks out? While he has made the Championship Four the past two seasons, Bell still feels like the third fiddle at Joe Gibbs Racing. 2023 reinforced that idea strongly, as Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr put up better numbers. Bell’s clutch gene has served him well in the playoffs, but fans want to see the young driver put it together for the entire season rather than the final handful of races.
Daytona 500 Chances
Not known for his superspeedway ability, Christopher Bell will be entering his fifth Daytona 500 this year. Historically, the 500 has been unkind to Bell. In his four previous starts, Bell has 2 DNFs and an average finish of 18.5. On the flip side, Bell is coming off his best Daytona 500 run (third) and has led 52 laps in the Great American Race. Bell has fared better in the 500 compared to Daytona’s summer race. Now, Bell has started to get a reputation for starting wrecks and leaving unscathed. Prime example of this was the 2023 Coke Zero 400 when an aggressive push to Ty Gibbs in the middle of Turns 3 and 4 led to a huge multi-car wreck.
Speedweeks Outlook
When Christopher Bell takes the track on February 14, there is a solid chance he will qualify in the Top-10. In half of his Daytona 500 qualifying efforts, Bell has found himself in the Top-10. As for his duel, Bell is on a streak of 3 straight Top-5s with 2 second place finishes. Expect Bell to run near the front of his duel and contend for the win. When it comes to the Daytona 500, Bell seems likely to spark an incident at some point during the race and live to tell the tale. While no one should expect him to win, he could be a dark horse pick.
Previous Days
40 Days: #12 Team Penske
39 Days: #5 Hendrick Motorsports
38 Days: #24 Hendrick Motorsports
