Christopher Bell says he took things into his own hands after the surprise exit of JGR’s key force

Christopher Bell, driver of the No. 20 car for Joe Gibbs Racing, shared that he had to make some quick adjustments, as his longtime spotter, Stevie Reeves, stepped down just days before the Coca-Cola 600. He said that Reeves’ departure came as a shock, confirming it wasn’t something he or the team expected.

The timing was tough. Christopher Bell had just won the 2025 All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro and was preparing to defend his Coca-Cola 600 title. Spotters play a key role in NASCAR, helping drivers navigate traffic and avoid wrecks. Bell and Reeves had worked together since the 30-year-old driver joined JGR, building a strong relationship over four years.

To fill the gap, Joe Gibbs Racing promoted Matt Philpott, a mechanic with the team who had previous spotting experience in the Xfinity and Truck Series. Philpott stepped into the Cup Series spotter role starting with the Coca-Cola 600.

When asked about what he was expecting in the coming races with this sudden change, Bell said that he didn’t wait for things to fall into place and took matters into his own hands.

"I obviously haven’t driven for Matt (Philpott), I call him Philpott, so that caught me off guard," Bell shared ahead of Sunday’s 600-mile race. "He doesn’t have a ton of spotting experience, so I’m going to be spending some time on the roof with him today through the Xfinity race, just to see what he’s seeing, seeing how he calls it.

"We had a really good exercise this week doing an iRace, with him spotting me, and I felt like that was really good to learn his language and what he means when he says certain things… I thought the iRacing experiment was really good, and then hopefully, we get a little bit closer through the Xfinity race, but I’m sure it's gonna be a period of time, through many races, before we are fully in sync," Christopher Bell added.

Bell entered the Coca-Cola 600 weekend hoping to repeat last year’s success. However, the Oklahoma native came up short as Ross Chastain of Trackhouse Racing won the 400-lap race and secured a playoff spot.

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Christopher Bell shares insights about Denny Hamlin's driving style

Christopher Bell spoke highly of his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin ahead of the Coca-Cola 600 when asked about Hamlin’s role as a mentor within the team. He praised Hamlin’s skill, calling his driving style one of the most unique he’s ever seen.

“So, Denny [Hamlin] is just very unique in his driving style,” Bell noted. “And I’ve been around a lot of race car drivers throughout my career, but whenever you look at the data on how they drive the car, it is hard to pick out who is who, except for Denny.”

Bell pointed out that Hamlin’s throttle control and how he slows the car through the corner were easy to recognize in the data. He also mentioned that Hamlin’s influence goes beyond just himself.

Bell believed that Hamlin has helped several drivers in the Joe Gibbs Racing system over the years in getting better, especially at tough short tracks like Martinsville and Richmond, where Hamlin has built a strong record.

Christopher Bell has already secured his berth in the playoffs with three points-paying victories in the season so far and sits in the third spot in the Drivers' championship with 425 points to his name. He trails the championship leader, William Byron, by 74 points.