“We are going to have a rocket ship” - Christopher Bell warns rival championship drivers about their prospects at Phoenix 

For a second year in a row, Christopher Bell is in a fight to win his maiden NASCAR Cup Series championship in the season finale at the Phoenix Raceway. The #20 Joe Gibbs Racing driver is confident about his chances as he heads into the weekend with momentum on his side.

The stacked field of playoff drivers includes Hendrick Motorsports duo Kyle Larson, William Byron, and Team Penske driver Ryan Blaney. Bell is the only repeat Championship Four contender from last season.

Coming off a seventh-place finish at Martinsville last weekend, the Oklahoma native fired warning shots at his rivals saying (via Speedsport.com):

"We are going to have a rocket ship, I can't wait to get out there. Seventh is a good finish and I'm excited about carrying the momentum into Phoenix."

Bell finished 10th in last year's season finale, third of the four championship contenders. Although his stats at the Phoenix Raceway are not as impressive as the rest of the title contenders, he has plenty of experience racing under pressure.

Out of his eight seasons in NASCAR's three national series, the 28-year-old has advanced to the championship race six times, winning the Truck Series title in 2017.

Last season Christopher Bell pulled off two clutch victories to secure his spot in the final four. Unlike last year, the #20 Toyota driver booked his spot in the finale with a win at Homestead, giving his team two weeks of preparation time.

Making his second appearance in the Cup Series championship race, Bell wants to make his dreams come true.

"The opportunity in front of me to become a Cup champion is the opportunity every race car driver dreams of." Bell was quoted as saying by Speedway Digest." I can't wait to get out there and enjoy the moment and try and make it happen. I feel like Phoenix is one of my best tracks on the schedule, it's a place I know we can go out and win."

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NASCAR analyst points out Christopher Bell's Achilles heel ahead of championship race

Former Hendrick Motorsports crew chief and NBC analyst Steve Letarte reviewed Christopher Bell's chances of winning his maiden title while questioning the #20 team's frequent issues on the pit road.

With the track position ever so important at the Phoenix Raceway, Letarte believes the #20 JGR team's Achilles Heel will hurt them in the season finale.

“This year, they won, they won early. I agree, execution is really the only question I have for Christopher Bell,” Letarte claimed.

“It really comes down to, can they put together the pit stops when it matters. I don’t know how many times we can talk about it, pit road, pit road, pit road, that’s the Achilles’ Heel, that’ll be the question mark.”

Apart from the issues on the pit road, Steve Letarte is confident about Bell's ability to best the rest of the title contenders under clutch situations.