“It forces your hand to do it” - Christopher Bell declares fearless strategy against Penske in Talladega playoff clash

Joe Gibbs Racing star Christopher Bell has made his intentions clear for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series playoffs race at Talladega Superspeedway, NASCAR's biggest oval. Bell said that he will approach the Talladega playoff clash with the same aggression that the Team Penske cars approach Talladega with.

Talladega, a 2.66-mile superspeedway, is the longest and most unpredictable track on the calendar, known for its big wrecks at high speeds. With Penske cars traditionally racing aggressively at Talladega, Christopher Bell is up for the challenge to go against them and race hard for maximum stage points instead of laying back to avoid a wreck.

Speaking to SiriusXM NASCAR radio (Ch.90) about his strategy for the Talladega playoff race, Bell said:

“Well, I think that you're gonna have to be aggressive and go for it. You know, with the, we know that the Penske cars, the two, the #12, the #22, they're all going to be very aggressive and pushing for stage points. And with your competitors doing that, it forces your hand to do it too. You can't just lay over and give them free stage points.”

Team Penske drivers Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney are formidable competitors at Talladega. Logano and Blaney have won three times each at The Dega and are favorites to win here again.

While Bell has yet to improve his numbers at Talladega. He had scored two poles, one top-five, and two top-10 finishes in nine starts at this track.

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“We're going to be racing hard”: Christopher Bell

As the stakes are higher than ever before at Talladega this time, the #20 JGR Toyota driver believes that avoiding battles for stage points could hurt playoff chances. So his strategy is to race hard with an aim to lead laps and earn maximum stage points to stay alive in the NASCAR championship battle.

In the aforementioned interview, Bell said:

“So, yeah, Talladega is a very nerving race, especially in the playoffs this round of 12, but you're going to have to go hard. And I think anybody that lays back and, you know, purposely tries to not get stage points is, I don't think that that is the right strategy. So we're going to be racing hard and attempting to lead laps and try and get some points.”

Heading to the second race Round of 12 at Talladega, Christopher Bell is placed third in the Cup Series championship standings. He is just six points behind points leader William Byron.