"I think he's probably fourth or fifth in the list" - Christopher Bell is not a championship favorite, feels Kyle Petty

Joe Gibbs Racing seems to be in a good spot coming into this weekend's South Point 400 with two drivers firmly locked into the 2022 Round of 8 with Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin. The first race of the Round of 8 in the Cup Series this season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will see not only veteran drivers such as Joey Logano and Hamlin fight it out for a championship, but several young drivers like Chase Briscoe and Bell as well.

Last weekend's Bank of America Roval 400 at the Charlotte Roval Road Course saw the #20 Dewalt Toyota Camry TRD visit Victory Lane with Christopher Bell behind the wheel as the 27-year-old managed to qualify for the next round. A late call for fresh tires by his team saw the Norman, Oklahoma native climb his way to the top spot after the final restart. When a stray advertising hoarding on the track brought out the late caution-flag period, it also spelled disaster for drivers such as Chase Elliott, who managed to get spun after the green flag was waved one final time.

On a recent episode of NASCAR's official Backseat Drivers show, Kyle Petty, a legend of the sport, elaborated on how he saw Christopher Bell's chances going forward in the 2022 season. As the fight for the ultimate crown nears every driver, Petty felt Bell was not the fans' favorite going into the Championship 4 round, and said:

"I like that they think they are (championship favorites). You have to believe that. But I don't believe they (Christopher Bell and the #20 crew) are, and part of the reason is that they just haven't had that consistency all year long. I think he is bound for that fourth spot. I'm just saying, from past experience, I think he's probably fourth or fifth on the list."

Watch the complete episode below:

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Christopher Bell elaborates on his championship hopes going forward

Last Sunday's win for Christopher Bell at Charlotte Roval has injected the 27-year-old with newfound confidence as the Joe Gibbs Racing driver heads into the first Round of 8 race this upcoming weekend. The #20 Dewalt Toyota Camry TRD driver spoke about how his previous results had somewhat 'depressed' his attitude in the playoffs as he spoke to Bob Pockrass. He said:

"I was down on myself, I'm not gonna lie. After Texas and then after Talladega, I was just almost depressed, really deflated and bummed because I felt like we were doing everything right and then one bad race in Texas kind of took us out of it."

Watch the complete interview below:

NASCAR will go live from Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend for South Point 400 on Sunday.