Christopher Bell shares honest response when asked about NASCAR rule changes regarding teams’ “shenanigans” 

Christopher Bell shared his thoughts on the new and more stringent rule about race manipulations, which he described as "shenanigans." He applauded the rule change and hoped NASCAR would enact it as early as possible during a race.

Bell is one of the four drivers under Joe Gibbs Racing. His playoff run last season ended amid alleged race manipulation at Martinsville Speedway.

NASCAR then introduced harsher penalties over race manipulations during the off-season, including loss of manufacturers' points and reduction in wind tunnel or computational fluid dynamics (CFD) test runs.

Speaking about the rule change, Christopher Bell said:

“I like the rule change, going from the 100% rule to changing the wording to manipulation." [via NBC Sports]

The Oklahoma native hoped NASCAR would make a call immediately in the event of a race manipulation.

“Hopefully, if NASCAR sees any of those shenanigans going on, they’re going to make a call in the heat of the moment to fix it. That’s all that I can ask for," Bell added.

Christopher Bell at Martinsville Speedway last season - Source: Imagn

When the Martinsville race was allegedly manipulated last season, NASCAR took some time before imposing penalties against violators including teams from Chevrolet and Toyota. Bubba Wallace's camp was penalized for allegedly slowing down during the race to allow Christopher Bell to finish in a higher position.

However, the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing driver rode the wall on the final lap, which was considered a safety violation, resulting in disqualification.

Bell will return to NASCAR following a strong season last year. He was second on the list of drivers with the most laps led behind Kyle Larson. Moreover, he amassed three wins, three poles, 15 top-5s, and 23 top-10s.

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Christopher Bell reacts to off-season team shakeup featuring Denny Hamlin's former crew chief

Christopher Bell (20) during qualifying at Martinsville Speedway - Source: Imagn

Christopher Bell expressed excitement for Chris Gabehart's new role as a competition director at Joe Gibbs Racing. He believes Gabehart, Denny Hamlin's former crew chief, can help all four JGR cars to perform better instead of just the No. 11 Toyota Camry.

In an interview with veteran NASCAR reporter Bob Pockrass, Bell said (via X):

"I've always had the utmost respect for Chris Gabehart. I felt like he was an amazing crew chief. Super smart individual and I'm excited about him and his new role, because I think he really can, specifically, help the 20 car and, overall, help the company get going to where all four of our cars are performing better." [0:43 onwards]

He added:

"Before, he was only focused on the 11. Now, he's gonna be more (focused) on all the cars." [2:05 onwards]

Joe Gibbs Racing's 2025 driver lineup consists of Christopher Bell (No. 20), Denny Hamlin (No. 11), and Ty Gibbs (No. 54). Chase Briscoe also joins the team replacing Martin Truex Jr. in the No. 19 Toyota Camry.

The new driver lineup will officially debut in the Daytona 500 on February 16. Former JGR driver Truex Jr. will also participate in the race but in an open team following his retirement from full-time competition last season.