Christopher Bell barely missed out on his third straight Championship Four appearance. After the madness that spoiled a fun playoff Martinsville race, Bell was denied a spot to compete for a championship due to his mini-wall ride. Heading into 2025, Bell will look to build off his strongest Cup season yet. Arguably, Bell was the best driver in Cup last year. As the calendar hits 36 Days to Daytona, the Joe Gibbs Racing #20 team will prep for a potential return to the Championship Four.
The #20 Team
Driver: Christopher Bell
Crew Chief: Adam Stevens
Sponsors: DeWalt, Rheem, Interstate Batteries, Yahoo!
2024 Statistics: 3 Wins, 15 Top-5s, 23 Top-10s, 3 Poles, 12.8 Average Finish
2025 Season Preview
Capitalize on Winning Opportunities
While Christopher Bell had a tremendous season, it easily could have seen more trips to victory lane. There were at least 4 races where the 20 team had the car to beat, but somehow found ways to lose. After Bell’s win at New Hampshire at the halfway point, the 20 team failed to get to victory lane again. To be fair, not every race lost can be put on anyone from the 20 team. However, being able to better capitalize on having the best car on race day could help avoid race manipulation at Martinsville this year.
Conquering Phoenix
As proven by his dominance in the spring race, Christopher Bell has found the key to speed at Phoenix Raceway. With the potential of Phoenix losing the championship race for 2026, ensuring Bell makes the Championship Four this year will be vital. During the finale, the only car to be competitive against the Team Penske duo was the 20 car. If Bell can return to Phoenix with a shot at the title (and solid brakes), he will definitely be appointed as the one to beat.
Head of JGR
With the retirement of Martin Truex Jr and crew chief swap for Denny Hamlin, the current hierarchy of Joe Gibbs Racing starts with Christopher Bell. Over the past 3 seasons, he has earned that moniker. Potentially soon, Bell will also be the veteran of the JGR lineup when he retires (or leaves). What is scary for the competition is that Bell has yet to reach his peak. As mentioned earlier, this team left many wins on the table. 2025 could be the year that Bell rivals a win total ala Kyle Larson.
Daytona 500 Outlook
After covering Tyler Reddick yesterday, it is time to focus on the other Bluegreen Vacations Duel winner. In the second duel, Bell mirrored Reddick’s path to victory, starting from the year and leading only the final lap for the win. Similar to Reddick, Bell is not known for his superspeedway prowess. However, that is a disservice to how well Bell navigates his way around these type of tracks. Especially at Daytona, where Bell has 3 third place finishes in the past 4 starts.
The recent success at Daytona turned a new leaf for Bell at the Florida track. Prior to the 2023 Daytona 500, Bell only had a single lead lap finish on his Daytona resume in 6 starts. Even with his newfound success, the JGR driver is still searching for his first superspeedway win. After notching a duel win last year, could the Daytona 500 be on tap this year? Although he is not an obvious pick, his back-to-back third in the Great American Race could be momentum needed for Bell to win it.
Days to Daytona Countdown
40 Days: Team Penske #22; 39 Days – Team Penske #12; 38 Days – Hendrick #24;
37 Days: 23XI Racing #45
