Toyota GAZOO Racing – Christopher Bell
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes
TALLADEGA, Ala. (October 18, 2025) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell was made available to the media on Saturday prior to qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway.
CHRISTOPHER BELL, No. 20 Rheem Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing
Does the grind get to you at this point of the season with three races remaining?
“I mean, that’s a really good question, obviously. And the answer would be, yes, absolutely. If it wasn’t for the Playoffs and being in the thick of racing for championship. Unfortunately, I’ve been in this position for a number of years in a row now, but yeah, I couldn’t imagine being knocked out of the Playoffs and not being able to race to the championship and being so close to the end. For me personally, this has been a really, really long stretch of races, and I’m sure that most of the industry would say that. Our off week came really early in the year, so, this has been a grueling part. But with what we’re racing for, and this stage of the championship hunt you’re as focused and tuned in as ever. Maybe that’ll make the burnout a little bit tougher after the end of the year, but certainly right now, we’re all in all in.”
Do you think if NASCAR changed the format that it would help to avoid burnout and keep drivers racing longer?
“Well, I think that’s a very slippery slope. And that would concern me. What we don’t want is — we don’t want to go to Daytona and crown a champion with 36 race cars eligible for it. I think that there’s a really fine line between – I just think that’s a slippery slope, and I don’t know how else to say it. I would be concerned about changes that compress the field even more than what we have. Yeah, I don’t know. That’s tough. It makes me nervous hearing that, though.”
Has it been a nerve-racking week and was it a difficult thing for you to handle?
“Honestly, I felt probably better this week than I did last year going into Homestead. Just because I kind of view Talladega as there’s certainly a lot less in my control than going to a normal race track. You know, qualifying, will be pretty much no stress when you go out there and hold it wide open and see what my car’s got. Last year with Homestead being in there, it’s a very driver demanding race track. The driver really has to dot your i’s and cross your t’s to make sure that you maximize your day. Here in Talladega, it’s a lot more circumstances, so while it is a little bit scarier because it’s out of your control, I’ve taken the approach of it’s going to be what it’s going to be, and then we’ll restack the deck in Martinsville.”
Do you think the strategy will be similar to what we saw in the spring race here?
“The strategy is really dictated by the yellow flags, and I don’t exactly remember what happened in the spring race. I got wrecked out early in stage one. I don’t remember how stage one unfolded. But certainly, if the yellow flags fall at the right time, then there is no fuel saving, and we can just go out there and race. I think that happened at Daytona, too, maybe, where there just the way the yellows fell, we didn’t have to worry about fuel mileage. And I think that’s what all of us want, is we want to be able to go out there and race and not have to worry about saving fuel. So, right now, the way that the stages are broke up, there’s going to be a large element of fuel saving until the yellow flags break it up and make us all come to pit road. So right now, I think the strategy’s going to be similar to what we’ve had in previous Talladega races and then the yellow flags change from there.”
How many points above the cutline would you feel comfortable leaving Talladega with?
“Well, that’s another good question too, and I think a lot of people get kind a false narrative by looking at the number alongside the plus or minus, but it really has to do with how many winners you have. So, right now, I think I’m what — I’m plus 20 to the cutline, but any time you get a winner, then that cutline gets bumped up. So, the likelihood of not having another Playoff winner is low, I would say. So that means if there is another Playoff winner, right now, as we sit today, I would be plus five on my teammate (Chase) Briscoe. And then if there’s two Playoff winners, then I’m minus 15 on (Kyle) Larson. So, I think that this is going to be a huge turning point in the Round of 8. It always is, but if we have a Playoff winner, it changes the game dramatically. If we don’t have a Playoff winner, it certainly makes us feel a lot better about it. But either way, you look at it, we’re going to be in a super tight battle, because I don’t think we’re going to get out of here with two non-Playoff winners between here and Martinsville. So, it’s going to be — the points are going to be really tight, and we all know that. So, the only way that I would feel comfortable is if I was the lead points car going into Martinsville, and even with that being the case, that’s where I was last year and I didn’t transfer. So, it’s going to be a battle all the way to the checkered flag. It always is.”
Where do you keep your Martinsville clock?
“It is actually the one trophy that I keep in the living room.”
Why is that?
“All my other trophies are either at my race shop or in my office. So, yeah, I have plenty of room in the living room for another Martinsville clock.”
Is that because it’s different than everything else?
“It is, yes. It’s a bit more home décor than the other trophies.”
Was that your decision or your wife’s decision?
“I don’t know. I think it was just kind of — I don’t even remember how it went. I think it’s kind of expected that we don’t have trophies in the living area, but then the Martinsville clock is a little bit different. It’s a Grandfather Clock. But yeah, we have a pretty good place for it and there’s another perfect place for the second one, too.”
How are you a better driver from this time a year ago?
“Heck, I don’t know. I mean, I think I’m definitely a little bit more seasoned, and I think I definitely understand the way that the Round of 8 goes. Last year, I’ve talked about being the top points car, had a big, bonus going into Martinsville, and we still didn’t transfer. So, I think it’s changed my approach going into the Round of 8, and certainly made, I don’t know if it’s made me drive any different, but my mentality’s been a little bit different going into last week and then the next two races. But I don’t know. I think, at least in my age, I should continue to improve and get better up to a certain point, and hopefully I haven’t reached my ceiling.”
How do you and Adam Stevens still work well together and how does he help you?
“I think it kind of goes hand in hand with experience, and — you always ask the hard-hitting questions. The deep questions that aren’t very easy to answer. No, but you just always get my brain spending here. So, how do Adam (Stevens, crew chief) and I work better together, right? That’s the question. I’ve been really proud of him, certainly since the start of the Playoffs. Obviously, I had a big blow-up there at Gateway and I think he and the team and myself, we all rebounded really well. And the performance has uptick since that moment at Gateway, and we’ve been on quite the role. And I’m just proud of how they responded, proud of myself for being able to put it behind me and correct my attitude or whatever it may be, and we’ve been doing good.
Do you regret saying that or was that needed to be said at that point?
“Do I regret saying it? I think I went about it the wrong way, yes. I think there was definitely better ways to go about that. But I think better came out of it and we’ve been performing better since then.”
What makes Talladega so special beyond the racing?
“I would go with the history. It’s just a very historic race track, and it kind of speaks for itself. Yeah, it’s a historic place that is hard to win at. A lot of things have to go right to win at, and I think that’s what it’s known for.”
What keeps you looking so young? What do you do?
“I don’t know if this is an easy question or not. I guess the answer is easy. I don’t do anything. I don’t know. My parents tell me I’ll enjoy it later, so hopefully that’s the case. I don’t have any magic. I just have a baby face.”
Is the 11 a wild card heading into tomorrow’s race knowing he’s locked in and what is Denny Hamlin’s role going to be in tomorrow’s race?
“Yeah, man, it’s tough because, obviously Denny (Hamlin) being locked in, the outcome of the race for him doesn’t matter. So, certainly we would love to have him be on our side and pushing the 19 (Chase Briscoe) and 20 to try and get locked in. But, from his sake, he really has everything to lose tomorrow, especially at Talladega. Speeds are up, it can be a dangerous race track. So, he’s got everything to lose and nothing to gain. And so, I don’t know how he will race the event, but certainly him pushing us would be greatly appreciated and we’ll have to see how the strategy works out.”
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