“I’m either going to put up or shut up”: When Christopher Bell confronted the pressure of living up to his ‘dream’ with Joe Gibbs

Christopher Bell once expressed the need to perform optimally to safeguard his longevity at Joe Gibbs Racing. This came after the #20 Toyota driver clinched his career-first Cup Series win at Daytona International Speedway's road course in 2021, following which he opened up about the pressure.

Bell entered the Cup Series as a rookie for Leavine Family Racing. But one year into stock car racing's pinnacle level with Bell, team owner Bob Leavine decided to sell his team, leaving the now-12-time Cup race winner's future hanging by a thread.

However, the Oklahoma native already showcased his mettle to Joe Gibbs during his two-year run with him in the Xfinity Series, placing his #20 Toyota 4th and 3rd in his rookie and sophomore seasons, respectively. Thus, the JGR owner chose him over Erik Jones to take the reigns of the #20 Cup Series ride.

Christopher Bell didn't disappoint his boss. After salvaging a 16th place in his first Cup race for JGR, the 2021 Daytona 500, Bell claimed his career-first win at the following race on Daytona's road course, opening his victory books on his 38th attempt.

Amid the momentous feat, Bell opened up about his 'dream come true' moment driving for Joe Gibbs, albeit adding the need to perform to run with the organization for the 'rest of his career'

“I knew going to Joe Gibbs Racing that this is my time. I’m either going to put up or shut up. I’m very grateful for how it’s played out so far between the first two weeks," Christopher Bell said (via USA Today).

"It’s a dream come true to be able to drive for the Coach, have all of our great partners. Those guys are who made it happen. I just want so bad to be in this No. 20 car for the rest of my career. I need to perform well to do that. I just got to stay after it," he added.

Bell made the playoffs in his debut JGR season but couldn't advance to the Round of 8, settling his Toyota 12th in the standings.

---

Christopher Bell matches Kyle Larson's championship season record after claiming the Phoenix win

The fourth Cup Series race of the season was mired by 10 cautions for 70 laps, witnessing 15 lead changes among six drivers. Christopher Bell started the Shriners Children's 500 race from 11th but led a race-high 105 laps to clinch his third consecutive triumph.

When Bell piloted his #20 Toyota to move Denny Hamlin up the track and cross the start/finish line, he became the first driver since Kyle Larson to win three back-to-back races. The Hendrick Motorsports star attained the feat during his championship-winning season -2021.

It's worth mentioning that Bell faced challenges from his teammate Hamlin and HMS rival Larson during the closing laps of the 312-lap battle. While the #20 driver eyed his third win, Hamlin's #11 and Larson's #5 Chevy eyed to recover from their respective COTA setbacks.

The fight came down to the final turn. Hamlin was on the outside and Larson was behind the JGR teammates. But Christopher Bell sidelined Hamlin and fended off the HMS driver to jump from fourth in the Cup Series standings to second.