“The surgery went well”: Christopher Bell’s crew chief gives an update on health after being ruled out of action for several weeks

Christopher Bell's crew chief, Adam Stevens, faced a setback with a double knee injury while vacationing with his family. At 46, Stevens underwent successful surgery on both knees and will be steering the ship from JGR’s headquarters during the upcoming races.

In the meantime, Chris Sherwood will step in as interim crew chief for Christopher Bell starting at Richmond Raceway, as announced by Joe Gibbs Racing on August 5. Although Stevens will be off the track, he'll still be calling the shots over the weekend, working remotely from the command center at Joe Gibbs Racing headquarters in Huntersville, North Carolina.

About his recent health issues, Stevens provided an update while speaking to Motorsport, saying:

"I hate that I won’t be at the track for a few weeks, but I will be fully engaged remotely. I am very thankful for the depth and strength of this No. 20 team and don’t anticipate my physical absence having any effect on our performance. [...] The surgery went well, and I will be back at the track in a few weeks."

So far in the regular season, Christopher Bell has won three races at Phoenix, Charlotte, and New Hampshire, securing a playoff spot with a strong assist from his crew chief, Adam Stevens. Currently, the #20 car sits eighth in the Cup Series championship standings, with just four races left before the playoffs start. In addition to his race wins, Bell has also racked up a division-leading nine stage wins and stands eighth in points as he heads into Sunday night's race at Richmond Raceway.

Christopher Bell and Adam Stevens teamed up back in 2021. The latter had previously missed one track event with the #20 team during the fall of the '21 season due to a suspension over a lug nut violation.

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Christopher Bell talks about his expectations from Richmond Raceway

Christopher Bell has an overall average finish of 7.5, having notched four top-five finishes and six top-10s in just eight NASCAR Cup Series starts at Richmond Raceway. This past spring, Christopher Bell returned after a speeding penalty to secure a P6 finish.

The #20 JGR driver has landed in the top six in six of his last seven races at Richmond, with his best performance coming in 2022, when he finished second. Also, Joe Gibbs Racing has a strong track record at Richmond Raceway, leading all teams with 19 victories, including Denny Hamlin’s win in March.

Across 171 starts at the .75-mile tri-oval, the team has racked up 61 top-five finishes, 100 top-10s, and led 6,364 laps. However, with his crew chief unable to attend, a cautious Christopher Bell mentioned in a recent interview (via Motorsport):

"Richmond is going to be a little bit different this time around with the option tire being introduced to points racing. Nobody is quite sure how it’s going to go, but I’m sure we will learn a lot in our practice session on Saturday."

With only four races remaining, Richmond will be a crucial battleground for drivers outside the top 16, all vying to secure their spots in the playoffs.