Christopher Bell should be seen as a real Cup Series threat

 If Sunday's race at New Hampshire didn't make it clear, let's spell it out: Christopher Bell is a legitimate threat for the NASCAR Cup Series championship. 

Despite making Championship Four appearances in each of the last two years and this season winning two races - including a crown jewel in the Coca-Cola 600 - Bell has seldom been talked about as a true championship threat for 2024. 

While it's true that the inherent craziness of NASCAR's playoff format means any driver can be a favorite if they get hot at the right time, Bell isn't a fluky title contender. The best example of this? None other than Sunday's USA Today 301 at New Hampshire. 

It's no secret that New Hampshire Motor Speedway is Bell's best track – seven wins in 11 NASCAR starts at the track more than proves it – but Bell's adaptability paid big dividends when the checkered flag flew. 

Not only did Bell pass Chase Elliott for the lead en route to a Stage One win, but the driver of the famed No. 20 car also came from ninth to the lead when NASCAR restarted the race on wet-weather tires. With 60 laps remaining, Bell easily got around race leader Tyler Reddick and never looked back, failing to relinquish the lead until he parked his Toyota Camry in victory lane. 

Bell's ability to maneuver his car through a restless pack on the wet-weather tires makes his second Cup Series win at New Hampshire all the more impressive and also shows how much raw speed the No. 20 team has under the hood. 

Sunday marked the third time in the last five races that Bell has led at least 80 laps, dating back to his victory in the Coca-Cola 600 on May 26. The following week in St. Louis, Bell led 90 laps before an engine issue relegated him to a seventh-place finish. 

Solid runs at both Sonoma and Iowa followed, but New Hampshire seemed like a return to winning form for a team that is among the hottest in NASCAR. 

If Bell can keep the speed and momentum going into the playoffs, the No. 20 team has as good a shot as anyone to make it to the Championship Four. If Bell were to make the Championship Race again, he would've qualified in three of his first five seasons at the Cup level – easily a record in the decade that the Championship Race has been around. 

Bell's win on Sunday tied him with Kyle Larson, William Byron and Denny Hamlin for the most in the season at three. Solidly locked into the postseason by virtue of his three victories, Bell has climbed up to sixth in the regular-season standings, just 65 points behind leaders Larson and Chase Elliott.