HMS ace gets brutally honest about Christopher Bell’s ‘inconsistency’

Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron recently spoke about this year’s legitimate championship contenders. Christopher Bell’s name came up as one of the top seeds in the mix. While Bell has secured the most wins this season, Byron noted that his performance has been inconsistent.

In his previous eight starts, Bell has won three races at Atlanta, COTA and Phoenix on consecutive weekends. He sits third in the driver standings with 263 points to his name.

However, delivering a three-peat isn’t going to be enough, Byron suggested. The way he sees it, who wins the championship this year cannot be decided before July. Only at that point can one evaluate the points picture and make calculated predictions.

“Honestly, for us, it's just you've got to put a lot of stage wins together.” Byron explained (via Speedway Digest). “You've got to put a lot of race wins together. So yeah, it's whoever's going to break out and win multiple races. Obviously (Christopher) Bell's already done that, but they've been kind of up and down, inconsistent.”

That being said, Byron has yet to log his first win of 2025 and will be vying for the same on Sunday, April 13. NASCAR will host its ninth Cup Series race of the season that day at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Named Food City 500, fans can watch the race on Fox Sports 1 from 3 pm ET onwards or listen to radio updates on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Last week’s winner at Darlington, Denny Hamlin, happens to be the defending champion at Bristol.

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“It is still the coolest thing in the world”- Christopher Bell reflects on ‘honor’ given to him by NASCAR Hall of Famer

Following his dominant three-peat, Christopher Bell appeared in an interview where he revealed that NASCAR Hall of Famer and seven-time Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson texts him every time he wins a race. For Christopher Bell, the coolest thing in the world is that he has Johnson in his contacts.

Reflecting on the same, the Oklahoma native said (via AP News),

“It is still the coolest thing in the world to me that I have Jimmie Johnson in my phone. He has talked to me, he has sent me a text message after every win so far.”

“I’m still shocked every time I see his name pop up. I respect the heck out of him. It’s an honor to know that he thinks of me after the race to send a text message. That is so cool,” Christopher Bell added.

With 83 Cup Series race wins under his belt, Jimmie Johnson remains one of the most greatest drivers to have ever ushered into the world of NASCAR. Although he is now retired, he makes sure to run select races each year with Legacy Motor Club, of which he is a majority owner.