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Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell recently assessed his NASCAR Cup Series wins and conceded that he hasn't clinched dominant victories in his career, where he has been upfront throughout the race.
Since joining JGR in 2021, Bell has clinched seven victories in the Cup Series. He highlighted that his recent win at Phoenix Raceway and his second career victory at New Hampshire Motor Speedway were the only two instances where he felt he led the most laps. However, he acknowledged that he wasn't running up front for the majority of those races either.
In a recent discussion with Kevin Harvick on Harvick's Happy Hour podcast, Christopher Bell disclosed that he sees himself as an underdog due to his inability to produce dominant performances like his veteran teammate Martin Truex Jr. The #20 Joe Gibbs Racing driver said:
"I haven't gotten to the point yet where, we've put a whole race together, where we qualify up front, we lead laps, win stages, have good pit stops and good restarts where I'm the guy up front."
"It's good that we've been able to win races and be there at the end, but on the flip side, I think that's why I'm kind of this underdog because I'm not the guy that's leading all the laps like Martin did in Richmond or just leading laps and controlling the race. We haven't been able to do that yet," Bell added.
Christopher Bell's self-critical assessment is reflected in the stats in the opening 10 races of the season. With one victory under his belt, Bell has led 120 laps while his JGR teammate Martin Truex Jr. has led 368 laps without making a trip to the victory lane. Meanwhile, Denny Hamlin has led 399 laps and Ty Gibbs has been at the front for 201 laps.
Denny Hamlin explains why Christopher Bell lacks the "style points"
In a recent episode of Actions Detrimental, the #11 Joe Gibbs Racing discussed Christopher Bell's underdog status within the team, and how such a perception is born.
Denny Hamlin explained that fans focus on drivers who dominate races and lead laps, rewarding them with "style points." Hamlin believes this perception might be the reason behind fans labeling Bell as an underdog.
"What people talk about is who's controlling the race, who's showing that they're the best... its style points. He's [Bell's] like 'I think it's somewhat warranted because we're not upfront as much as Martin or Denny is.' I think that plays a role in it, you cannot argue about Christopher Bell's results, he gets results," Hamlin said. [57:20]
Christopher Bell undoubtedly fetches results, having demonstrated his ability to win races in clutch situations. He is also the only driver to make the Final Four in the past two seasons.
