"I feel respected": Christopher Bell acknowledges his rising stature inside NASCAR amid recent success

Christopher Bell recently opened up on whether he feels his perception among NASCAR fans and insiders has changed over the last year. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver emerged victorious in the All-Star race on Sunday (May 18), winning his fourth race of the season.

Before his win at North Wilkesboro, Bell had won three races in a row at the start of the 2025 season. It's also worth mentioning that in his career so far, he has made the championship 4 twice.

Following his most recent win, Christopher Bell was asked if he feels people are beginning to count him in their plans and look at him as a serious contender.

"I do feel that way throughout the industry. All of my competitors, you know, respect me or at least I feel respected by them. You know, the garage members, the mechanics, the crew chiefs. I do feel well respected throughout the industry. I'm not a flamboyant person. So I'll probably never get the press that some of the, you know, the bigger characters get," he replied via Cup Scene. [5:00]

Having said that, Christopher Bell added that he's not that type of a person to begin with. He views himelf as a racecar driver who drives racecars to win races and 'that's it'.

Christopher Bell has emerged as a leader in the garage, as per Mike Forde of NASCAR

Earlier this year, Mike Forde of NASCAR shared his unfiltered opinion on Christopher Bell. The industry insider touched on Bell's role in the newly formed playoff committee and how the governing body has turned to the #20 driver 'as a leader' in the garage.

"We have recognized his talents. We've recognized his voice. I think how he handled the disappointment of Martinsville, we took notice of that. He was vocal and super candid, as you guys all remember, in the media center. And I think a lot of people would probably assume that we didn't care for that. But the opposite," Forde elaborated on the Hauler Talk podcast in February.

He claimed that upon being invited to be a part of the playoff committee, Christopher Bell spoke and gave some ideas for things that need to be thought of. Among those things was one which Forde revealed Bell made a priority to talk about.

And that was the rotation of the championship race, which Forde deemed 'a big one on his plate'. He emphasized on how strongly he felt about the JGR driver to become 'a future star', one who has the capability to be a big fan favorite.

Forde said Bell has the skills to end his career with more than one Cup title to his name.