Christopher Bell backs NASCAR’s decision but issues a stern 'legitimacy' warning

The recent Cup Series race at the Phoenix Raceway garnered the spotlight with Christopher Bell's third consecutive win and NASCAR's option tires. The red sidewall tires, which are softer than standard primes and gel better with the asphalt, enhancing grip and speed, became a talking point in the community.

While some drivers bolted Goodyear's option tires early in the 312-lap battle to capitalize on the fall-off, many saved them, gambling for a late race caution. With less than 10 laps to go, Ty Gibbs hit the wall, bringing out the final caution, and the race went green with five laps left. Thus, saving on option tires massively paid off.

However, since the stage cautions are pre-planned, having the option tire or two sets of compounds could result in 'spelled' out strategies for the teams, something Christopher Bell warned about as it could take the sport's 'legitimacy' for a toss.

Speaking to Dale Earnhardt Jr., the Joe Gibbs Racing driver backed NASCAR's decision to introduce option tires and is open to seeing those as primary tires. However, he voiced his concern about the unwanted scenario.

“We have the planned stage breaks. Everybody knows when those yellow flags are coming out. And if you’re a competitive car, your strategy is spelled out. You have to save the fastest set of tires for the end of the race if you are a car that is leading laps and contending for the win," Bell said via Dirty Mo Media (1:03.25).

He continued:

“And all that does is it allows guys that aren’t competing for the win, and it gives them an advantage because they’re going to gamble and put their fast set of tires on before the competitive cars."

“With the planned yellow flags that we have with the stage breaks, I don’t think that you can have an option tire or two tire compounds in a race and it be legitimate off of competition,” Bell added.

Like Bell, his teammate Denny Hamlin supported NASCAR's option tires call, claiming it to be a "100% success."

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Christopher Bell's Phoenix win attracts big numbers on Fox

Christopher Bell has won every points-paying race this season he has completed. Except for the Daytona 500, which ended with a DNF, the #20 Toyota driver reigned supreme at the Atlanta Motor Speedway, Circuit of The Americas, and the Phoenix Raceway.

However, the interesting thing about the Phoenix race was that Bell entered the Shriners Children's 500 as a contender to become the first driver since Kyle Larson to secure three back-to-back wins. The Hendrick Motorsports driver attained the feat in 2021, the same season he claimed the championship.

The anticipation among the fanbase was such that a landmark number of viewers tuned in to watch Bell in action. Fox reported 2,818,000 viewers during the Phoenix race, making it the most-watched Cup Series race on its broadcast since 2021.

Ranked second, Christopher Bell will eye a fourth consecutive win at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, with Kyle Larson as the defending race winner.