“It’s a shame“: Christopher Bell comes clean on his bittersweet crown jewel triumph

NASCAR: 2024 NASCAR Awards Banquet - Source: Imagn
Christopher Bell during the 2024 NASCAR Awards Banquet - Source: Imagn

Christopher Bell opened up about his bittersweet win at Charlotte Motor Speedway this year. While reviewing his 2024 season with NASCAR, Bell said it was a shame the Coca-Cola 600 was suspended despite taking victory in the race.

Bell is a 30-year-old NASCAR Cup Series driver piloting the No. 20 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing. He won the 2024 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte after the league cut it short due to heavy rain and lightning.

However, Christopher Bell felt uneasy with the win because he wanted to complete all 400 laps of the race.

"It’s a shame that it got shortened because I would have loved to see it go the distance," Bell said during the 2024 NASCAR Awards Banquet.

The Oklahoma native believed his performance at Charlotte could've been at par with his race in Las Vegas [fall], which he considered one of the No. 20 team's 'all-around best days.'

"But I felt like Charlotte had that potential of [being] similar to how Vegas turned out," Bell added.

He said the Charlotte and Las Vegas were his stand-out races of the year.

"I think that those two races stand out. Phoenix [spring] was awesome. Gateway was awesome. There’s a lot of highs for sure."
Christopher Bell won the 2024 Coca-Cola 600 - Source: Imagn
Christopher Bell won the 2024 Coca-Cola 600 - Source: Imagn

During the Coca-Cola 600, NASCAR's longest race on the calendar, Christopher Bell started the race third and later earned a stage two win. When the officials suspended the race on lap 249 of 400, Bell was ahead of the field, hence the victory.

The No. 20 driver was followed by Brad Keselowski and William Byron, respectively.

The crown jewel triumph was Bell's first around the 1.5-mile track. It was also his second of three wins in the season along with Phoenix [spring] and New Hampshire.


Christopher Bell supported Joe Gibbs Racing's off-season move

Joe Gibbs Racing may have started the 2024 season strong but the team failed to get back to victory lane in the latter half. The team already made some changes to improve its performance, which Christopher Bell supported in an interview with NASCAR.

Chris Gabehart was promoted from a crew chief role for Denny Hamlin to the competition director for Joe Gibbs Racing. Chris Gayle was moved from Ty Gibbs' No. 54 team to Hamlin's No. 11 team as the new shotcaller.

Earlier this month, JGR announced Tyler Allen as the new crew chief for Gibbs.

Speaking of the changes, Christopher Bell said:

“I think it has potential to help out all the teams."

He added:

“Gabehart is a incredibly smart person. He was a huge asset to the 11 car and I think moving him to oversee the crew chiefs and be able to provide input and knowledge and just kind of keep all of the teams in line is a solid move. I think it has potential to increase the performance of all the teams.”
Christopher Bell drives the No. 20 Toyota in the premier series - Source: Imagn
Christopher Bell drives the No. 20 Toyota in the premier series - Source: Imagn

Joe Gibbs Racing will return to NASCAR in February next year for the Daytona 500. The team added Chase Briscoe to the driver lineup following Martin Truex Jr.'s retirement from full-time competition.

Quick Links

Edited by Neelabhra Roy
Sportskeeda logo
Close menu
WWE
WWE
NBA
NBA
NFL
NFL
MMA
MMA
Tennis
Tennis
NHL
NHL
Golf
Golf
MLB
MLB
Soccer
Soccer
F1
F1
WNBA
WNBA
More
More
bell-icon Manage notifications