Christopher Bell shocked by sudden exit of his devoted ally of six years from Joe Gibbs Racing

After winning last weekend’s All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway, Christopher Bell will have a new spotter for his upcoming race, the 66th running of the Coca-Cola 600. The 400-lap crown jewel event has been scheduled for this coming Sunday, May 25.

The news of crew chief Stevie Reeves parting ways with the No. 20 team came as a bolt from the blue. So much so that it shocked Bell himself.

As quoted by motorsports journalist Alan Cavana in one of his recent X posts, Bell reacted to Reeves’ sudden departure, saying,

“I was surprised as well. It was all Stevie. He made the decision to quit."

Alan Cavanna

@@AlanCavanna

"I was surprised as well," CBell says about his sudden spotter change.

"It was all Stevie. He made the decision to quit."

Reeves will be replaced by Matt Philpott atop the pit box. As per reports, Philpott has previously worked with Reaume Brothers Racing and Joey Gase Motorsports. He also served as Denny Hamlin’s interior mechanic and tire specialist in the past.

Christopher Bell, the defending winner of the Coke 600, will now have to adapt to the new setup. For that reason, the Toyota icon has decided to spend time with his new crew chief on the roof in Saturday’s Xfinity Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

"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,” said the Oklahoma native during a recent interview. (via Motorsport)

“The team wanted something a little bit different, so I thought the iRacing experience was really good, and hopefully, we get a little bit closer during the Xfinity race, but I’m sure it will be a period of time, through many races, before we are fully in sync,” he added.

Notably, this year’s Coca-Cola 600 will stream on Amazon Prime Video, marking the first of five races that the broadcast giant will cover this season. Fans can also listen to live radio updates on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, 6 pm ET onwards.

---

Former Cup Series champion shares Christopher Bell’s fate ahead of their upcoming Charlotte outing

Christopher Bell is not the only driver who will have a new crew chief for this year’s Coca-Cola 600. Brad Keselowski, driver of the No. 6 RFK Racing Ford Mustang, will welcome Todd Brewer to the team, replacing his usual crew chief, TJ Majors.

Just recently, Majors appeared on the Dale Jr. Download podcast and shared more information on the same.

“I've got a little procedure coming up this week, and I'll be out for probably about a month,” Majors told Dale Earnhardt Jr. (17:17). “Hopefully, I'll be back for good after that and not have to worry about it anymore."

Keselowski will start Sunday’s race from P35. Christopher Bell, on the other hand, managed to qualify inside the top-10. He will start on Row 5 alongside Hendrick Motorsports driver Alex Bowman.