Christopher Bell has received medical clearance to compete in the upcoming NASCAR Cup Series’ Great American Getaway 400 event at Pocono Raceway on Sunday, June 14.
The announcement was made by Bell’s team, Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR), through social media on Tuesday, June 9. It also occurred two days after Bell, the 2024 Coca-Cola 600 champion from Norman, Oklahoma, was involved in a late, vicious accident.
It occurred while Bell was racing up front in this past Sunday’s Cup event at Michigan International Speedway. During a Lap 148 of 200 restart, Bell was dueling with Chase Elliott for the runner-up spot when Elliott slipped beneath Bell. The move sent both competitors hard against the outside wall in Turn 4. The incident not only damaged both Bell and Elliott’s entries beyond repair, but it also damaged the wall that was impacted. As a result, the Michigan event was placed in a red flag period for more than 20 minutes.
Both Bell and Elliott managed to exit their respective entries under their own power and were taken to the infield care center to be evaluated. During the post-race activities, Joe Gibbs, team owner of Joe Gibbs Racing, said that Bell suffered ankle and wrist injuries that required further evaluation this week.
From JGR’s updated message on Tuesday through social media, the organization confirmed that Bell suffered a fractured left wrist, as X-rays verified the fracture. Despite the fracture, Bell has been medically cleared to return to action behind the wheel of JGR’s No. 20 Toyota Camry XSE entry for the upcoming event at Pocono.
Bell also released a short message through social media while responding to JGR’s message.
Bell, who ended up in 31st place of the 37-car field following his accident at Pocono, dropped three spots in the 2026 driver’s standings to 10th place. He is 81 points above the top-16 cutline to be in contention to make the 2026 Chase for the Cup, as 11 races are remaining to this year’s regular-season stretch.
Currently, Bell has notched five top-five results, six top-10 results, 398 laps led, and an average-finishing result of 16.6 through the first 15 of 36 races into the 2026 Cup season. In eight previous starts at Pocono, he holds an average finishing result of 16.4 and four top-six results as he strives to achieve both his first Cup victory at Pocono and the 2026 season.
The 2026 Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, is scheduled to occur this upcoming Sunday, June 14, at 3 p.m. ET on Prime Video, MRN Radio, SiriusXM, and HBO MAX.
