Christopher Bell was one green flag run away from being the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series champion. If not for Michael McDowell running into Alex Bowman, the long-run speed of the No. 20 car would have likely prevailed over Joey Logano.
However, that was not the case and Bell then went into the 2023 Daytona 500 looking for his first victory at a superspeedway track. He was close but not close enough with a third-place finish while leading 20 laps at a place that had never been kind to him in the past.
It is clear what Joe Gibbs Racing thinks of Bell as it gave him a long-term deal last season. These feelings are shared by Toyota Racing, who heavily praised the driver of the No. 20 car before the Daytona 500 last weekend.
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Toyota gives Christopher Bell high praise as his development continues into 2023
Bell will be one of the favorites fighting for the NASCAR Cup Series championship this season and for Toyota, this is something it expected when it went all-in on the young driver from Oklahoma.
He has always been a very talented individual and has seen success at every level. It has carried over to the Cup Series after his second season with Joe Gibbs Racing resulted in three wins and a Championship 4 appearance.
Due to Bell’s tremendous success, David Wilson, president of Toyota Racing Development, was asked during a media availability how much money it would take to find the next Bell and develop them. This is what Wilson had to say about the subject.
A gazillion. Is that fair? All kidding aside, (Christopher Bell) certainly, arguably, is the poster child. I’ve said before – everything that we’ve invested, our partners like JBL, ExxonMobil, and Safelite, all that they have invested. All it takes is one Christopher Bell to make it all worthwhile. We’ve checked that box. The motivation was certainly to grow our own, but that was just a motivation…”
David Wilson on the cost to develop the next Christopher Bell
This is not the first time Bell has been called the “poster child” by a major player within Toyota. Joe Gibbs, the owner of Joe Gibbs Racing, previously called Bell the poster child for how to treat sponsors.
The 28-year-old driver is likely NASCAR’s next superstar and people within the Toyota camp have realized this fact. In only two seasons with Joe Gibbs Racing, Bell has climbed to the top of the totem pole within the organization.
While it might seem odd for Toyota and Joe Gibbs Racing to give Bell his flowers now before the majority of his success, it is clear they are under the belief that last year was just the beginning.