Christopher Bell: 2025 NASCAR Driver Profile

While Bell’s weekly speed dramatically improved as 2024 went on, he and the No. 20 team saw multiple wins slip through their fingers with their last triumph coming at New Hampshire in June. And while some of the near-misses came from racing luck – like Las Vegas in October, where Joey Logano outfoxed him with a fuel mileage gamble – Bell had multiple self-inflicted wounds that hampered what could have been a five- or six-win campaign.

An unassisted restart crash at Nashville, a speeding penalty under green in the final stage at Richmond in August, and two wall slaps while battling for the lead at Kansas in September were among the potential opportunities that slipped away despite having the speed to win all of them.

There’s also the question of how Bell responds mentally to last fall’s Martinsville mayhem. The “wall-ride” and resulting penalty that NASCAR imposed, kicking Bell out of the Championship 4 in favor of William Byron, led to one of the sport’s most soft-spoken drivers holding a fiery, outspoken Phoenix press conference a week later.

Christopher Bell career stats

“I feel cheated,” Bell said. “I feel cheated out of a championship or out of a chance to compete for a championship … I could very clearly see the race manipulation and race fixing that was going on.”

We’ve seen throughout NASCAR history how such tough luck can bring a driver down the following year. But the good news for Bell is he possesses raw speed and racecraft that can’t be taught. Everything is there for him on paper. It’s now just a matter of minimizing mistakes, polishing his driving and playing to his strengths. And there’s arguably no better teacher for him than Stevens, who helped guide the once checkers-or-wreckers Kyle Busch to 28 wins and two championships in six seasons at JGR.

If Bell can tie up loose ends, he is golden; a rare driver without a true weakness. His one true lapse in this year’s playoffs is the addition of Talladega in the Round of 8, which, in fairness, is a track that can spell trouble for anyone.

2025 could spell redemption for Bell, a chance for another shot at a championship he felt “cheated” out of last year. Will he have a rocky start to 2025, or will he rise to the occasion and start the new year with a vengeance? If his dominance in November’s Phoenix finale is any indication, we can expect the latter.

The Christopher Bell file

Car: No. 20 Toyota

Team: Joe Gibbs Racing

Crew chief: Adam Stevens

Years with current team: 5

Best points finish: 3 (2022)

Hometown: Norman, Oklahoma

Born: Dec. 16, 1994

Scouting report

Anonymous takes from drivers, crew chiefs, and assorted industry insiders:

A rival team owner calls Christopher Bell a “silent assassin” and that when he’s on a streak, he’s unbeatable. That same owner pointed to the number of wins he has in “must-win or close situations,” and says that’s an example of the driver going above and beyond to make a difference:

“He is quietly one of the three or four best drivers in this series. He doesn’t have a lot of flash, but no one doubts he can get you the big win when you absolutely need it.”

“He is simultaneously the nicest person I know and the meanest person I know – it just depends on whether he is in competitor mode,” laughs one beat reporter.

The general consensus from those who cover him is that he is intense, but always thoughtful and articulate when it comes to interviews or media scrums.

Another team owner wonders if Joe Gibbs takes him for granted. “They have Denny Hamlin there and Coach is clearly building around his grandson, so I hope that doesn’t take away from Christopher because he can lead that team for a decade if they let him.”

That sentiment is a common one. Several industry types wonder if Bell and crew chief Adam Stevens will be allowed to continue building on their run of success or if they might be split up to boost (Ty) Gibbs in the next year or two.