Christopher Bell’s crew chief Adam Stevens divulges what sets their preparations apart at JGR

NASCAR: Cup Series-Practice and Qualifying - Source: Imagn
Chase Briscoe(L) and Christopher Bell(R) - NASCAR: Cup Series-Practice and Qualifying - Source: Imagn

Christopher Bell's crew Chief, Adam Stevens, broke down how each of the four JGR teams are preparing for the final two races. According to Stevens, the No.20 team is '95 percent worried' about Martinsville, while the two final four teams are prepping for Phoenix.

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Bell is currently 37 points above the cutline and will make it through Martinsville if either Denny Hamlin or Chase Briscoe wins the elimination race. Bell is no stranger to the championship round, as he's been there twice in the Next Gen Era.

However, Bell has come up short on both occasions. He'll be vying to prove his doubters wrong this time around, and NASCAR insider Jeff Gluck has doubled down on the notion. Gluck believes that Bell would become the championship favorite if he qualified for the finale race.

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IN an interview with SiriusXM NASCAR radio, Stevens explained how Bell stands to benefit from Hamlin and Briscoe's prep for Phoenix.

"You know we're probably 95 percent worried about Martinsville and and there's two teams that are probably 95 percent worried about Phoenix, if not more," he said.
"Thankfully for myself and my team, if we could make it through this weekend, we can piggyback off of all of the homework that they've done and be a lot further down the road because they've been thinking and working so far ahead on Phoenix.....and then you have the 54 as you mentioned, who's just trying to finish the season strong and trying to run the best they can every weekend, much like the rest of us through the middle of the year," he added.
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Christopher Bell has a rather contrasting track record at Martinsville. In his seven starts from the Next Gen Era, the No.20 driver has won in 2022, came runner-up during the spring race this year, but scored mid-pack to backmarker finishes on four other occasions.

If he can build upon with this year's runner up placing, Bell is bound for a title fight at Phoenix.


Kyle Larson singles out Christopher Bell as main rival at Martinsville

Christopher Bell is closely trailed by Kyle Larson with a single point deficit. As the only Hendrick Motorsports driver among the top four, Larson is pit against Bell for a spot on the finale race.

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Reflecting upon the same, the No.5 driver spoke to the press and said(via Jayski.com)

“I think the 20 (Bell) is the most important car for us on the track—and probably vice-versa. If either one of us outscores the other, we’re guaranteed a spot in the final four, regardless of who else wins."

Christopher Bell has more top-10 finishes than Kyle Larson in the playoffs so far. Darlington is the only track where he had a backmarker finish, but has since scored a win at Bristol and made it to the podium place three straight times.

Larson, on the other hand, turned in two consecutive runner-up finishes, but struggled to maintain momentum and fell back at Talladega.

Get the latest NASCAR All-Star race news, Xfinity Series updates, breaking news, rumors, and today’s top stories with the latest news on NASCAR.

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Edited by Vignesh Kanna
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