Christopher Bell is the least-known driver of the Championship 4 competitors and he wouldn’t want it any other way. Even with his win at Martinsville Speedway, Bell wasn’t the talking point due to Ross Chastain.
Let’s dive into three reasons why NASCAR’s most underrated driver will be the Cup Series champion.
Christopher Bell is NASCAR’s best shorter flat track racer in the last two events
Bell has been an elite competitor at shorter flat tracks during the 2022 season, specifically the last two at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Richmond Raceway.
The 27-year-old driver won his first race of the season at New Hampshire when it was apparent that he would need to win if the playoffs were going to be a realistic opportunity.
Then, Bell needed one more lap to win the race at Richmond but he couldn’t catch Kevin Harvick in time. Bell has seen his No. 20 car become the best in the field at the end of both events.
If this continues going into Phoenix Raceway, he could be in a prime position to clinch his first NASCAR Cup Series championship over the likes of Chastain, Joey Logano, and Chase Elliott.
The good news for Bell is that Phoenix resembles one of the tracks that he won at during the 2022 season.
Related: Christopher Bell signed ‘long-term deal’ with Joe Gibbs Racing in 2022
Phoenix Raceway resembles Christopher Bell’s first win of the season
One of the tracks on NASCAR’s schedule that resembles Phoenix Raceway is New Hampshire Motor Speedway. That is good news for Bell after he won in Loudon, New Hampshire during the summer.
The driver of the No. 20 car needed to pass a fellow Championship 4 contender in Elliott during the event. The driver of the No. 9 car would go on to say that Bell was the better driver that day.
While Bell’s best finish at Phoenix is ninth place, there is a lot to be confident about as he is rounding into form. Plus, his 24th place finish at Phoenix earlier this season might be irrelevant due to how early it was in the year.
Bell has two wins at Phoenix in his five starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. It would not be out of the ordinary to see the 27-year-old driver come away with the victory. He wouldn’t technically need to win the race either.
However, the best reason for Bell’s possible championship has been saved for last, which is something he does well on the track.
Related: Christopher Bell is NASCAR’s new elite closer in 2022
Christopher Bell is NASCAR’s new elite closer
Harvick used to be NASCAR’s closer as he would drive to the front at the end of races out of nowhere. However, it is time for the driver of the No. 4 car to hand over the torch to another driver.
Bell has been in two must-win situations during the 2022 playoffs and both situations have ended with the No. 20 car in victory lane. There is an even more impressive factor to these situations.
Elliott previously held the biggest walk-off victory in NASCAR playoff history when he entered the final race of the Round of 8 with a 25-point deficit to the cut-line.
However, Bell eclipsed that at the Charlotte ROVAL when he entered the event with a 45-point deficit. Then, the 27-year-old driver did it again with a 33-point deficit at Martinsville.
Bell holds the top-2 biggest walk-off victories in NASCAR playoff history. Plus, no driver has done that twice in a single playoff run. It has certainly been an incredible playoff as the No. 20 team remains the only group with two victories.
No matter what happens this weekend, Bell is NASCAR’s newly crowned closer. This is just the start of what’s to come from the Oklahoma native.