"I did smart off to him": Christopher Bell looks back at mid-race frustration with his crew chief before advancing to the Final 4 at Homestead

The latest driver to punch his ticket into the final round of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs this season is Joe Gibbs Racing's Christopher Bell.

The #20 Toyota Camry TRD driver was seen redeeming himself this weekend after the disappointment of a P2 finish in Las Vegas the weekend before.

In what was a topsy-turvy race for the 28-year-old driver, the 4EVER 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway saw Bell take the checkered flag in P1 ahead of a chasing Ryan Blaney.

The Norman, Oklahoma, native's victory during clutch situations in the postseason is a trend that has continued since last year, when the #20 crew and driver managed a similar victory at Charlotte Roval.

This season's second race of the Round of 8 was not straightforward for Christopher Bell either. The former dirt track racer struggled throughout the second stage of the 400-mile-long event, admitting to having almost given up hope.

However, the #20 crew managed to find crucial adjustments for Bell to make a difference out on track as Kyle Larson stuffed his Chevrolet into the pit entry sand barrels, bringing out the caution flag.

Looking back at his apparent frustration during his conversation with crew chief Adam Stevens, Bell looked at the bigger picture once he won the race.

He climbed out of his car and elaborated on his sarcastic comments to Sportsnaut.com:

“That was me boiling over with frustration, I try not to do that. I try to keep my temper as controlled as I could. But in that moment, I did smart off to him. I apologized to Adam (Stevens) for that. His old drivers probably gave him a lot worse, so I shouldn’t feel too bad.”

With Kyle Larson to keep him company during the title decider at Phoenix Raceway next month, it remains to be seen which drivers take up the vacant spots in the Final 4.

Christopher Bell sums up his race at Homestead-Miami Speedway

In a race that saw the pace of his car fluctuate during every stage, Christopher Bell elaborated on how his emotions were during the 400-mile-long event to Sportsnaut.com.

He said:

“It just completely fell apart in the second stage, I took off and the balance was not good at all. I completely died on the long run, almost went a lap down. I’m sure everybody on the 20 team was extremely frustrated, were ready to throw the towel in."

He added:

"A couple good adjustments and a big break with the yellow flag. If that yellow flag doesn’t happen, I certainly don’t win, and I probably don’t even sniff the top 10.”

Watch Christopher Bell challenge for this years title at Phoenix Raceway next month.