NASCAR insiders weigh in on Christopher Bell's radio outburst over Gateway strategy

NASCAR insider Jordan Bianchi discussed Christopher Bell's recent fallout with his crew after the Enjoy Illinois 300 at Gateway. The Athletic reporter believes Bell's outburst has to do with the No.20 team previously losing out similarly.

Coming into Gateway, Bell had high expectations after sweeping both stages at the track last year. He couldn't lead any laps this time and finished seventh, while his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates, Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe, came in first and second.

Nonetheless, Bell wasn't pleased with his top-10 finish and took it out on his team with an expletive-filled rant. He complained that their pit strategy wasn't the best one out there. In line with his comments, when the final cycle of green flag pitstops began at Gateway, Hamlin and Briscoe were first to pit, but it wasn't until seven laps later that Bell could hit the pit road.

Reflecting upon the same, Bianchi had this to say on the recent Door Bumper Clear podcast episode.

"Basically, his beef was, why did we not pit ahead of everybody or at least stay on top of it and then we would have been able to get out there and jump people on the track position. For me, what this is, it's indicative of what happened a year ago at Las Vegas. This team lost a race at Las Vegas, they should have won. And that was because of pit strategy....and they lost that race and it really put them out of the championship four," he said [21:14 onwards].

"So I think that's where this is coming from, of just a driver who's been through this before who knows we need to win if we can win. We need every point possible. And today we didn't do that," he added.

In the Las Vegas race that Bianchi alluded to, Christopher Bell stayed out a bit longer than he could afford and ultimately came in second to Joey Logano. The No.20 driver sits eighth in the standings with a 32-point cushion above the cutline.

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"That is a bummer": Christopher Bell on his Gateway race

Christopher Bell cut a despondent look after the Enjoy Illinois 300. The 30-year-old spoke to NBC Sports and was admittedly frustrated. He conceded that he had a fast car, but couldn't make much of it.

"I just think we are underperforming. Clearly, the JGR Camrys are amazing....I honestly think the cars are as fast as I’ve had in my Cup career, and we are just not getting results out of it. That is a bummer," Christopher Bell said.

Bell's season began with a DNF at the Daytona 500, but he bounced back with a hat trick of wins at Atlanta, COTA, and Phoenix. He was poised to win more, but his momentum faded as the season progressed.

Meanwhile, Denny Hamlin was a bit inconsistent at the start, but he found his groove once he hit Martinsville. He has won five races, with his Gateway triumph making it the 200th win for Toyota. He tops the tables and sits ahead of Chase Briscoe, who's also locked into the Round of 12 with his Southern 500 win.

Christopher Bell heads to Bristol Motor Speedway to replicate his teammates' feat.