| Full Name | Christopher David Bell |
| Date of Birth | December 16, 1994 |
| Nationality | American |
| Role | Driver |
Christopher Bell is entering just his second full season in the NASCAR Cup Series, but this hotshoe has paid his dues to get his shot at the big time. He had a one-year apprenticeship with Leavine Family Racing, but now he gets the chance to join one of the most successful organizations in the Premier Series, Joe Gibbs Racing.
He will step into the No. 20 Toyota Camry, the seat left open by Erik Jones's departure. Bell will have three veteran teammates to lean on for help, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, and Martin Truex Jr. For a young driver, it doesn’t get much better than that because that trio has racked up a combined 128 victories.
In 2015, he made his Camping World Truck Series debut with seven starts for Kyle Busch Motorsports, beginning in Iowa, and rewarded his boss with a fifth-place finish. Two races later, he was a winner at the famed dirt track of Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, leading 106 laps. His nearest competitor that day was runner-up Bobby Pierce who led just 39.
Bell made the playoffs for the first time in 2017, where he made it to the Championship 4. He would finish third overall. The following race season, he would win it all.
After moving up to Xfinity in 2018, he was named series Rookie of the Year, setting the single-season record for wins with seven. His first victory came at Richmond, automatically qualifying him for the playoffs. Bell made a run at the title only to fall short in the Championship 4, finishing fourth.
To show that 2018 was not a fluke, he returned the next year and put together a stellar resume of a career-best eight wins, 20 top-five, 21 top-ten finishes, and six poles. Bell’s average finish that year was 9.1.
Bell was already in the JGR pipeline, so it was just a matter of time before moving to the four-car team. With a history of finding the winner’s circle, he had three in ARCA Menards, seven more in the Camping World Truck Series, and 15 in just two full seasons of the Xfinity Series competition. He did that all before he turned 25.
Despite racing for an underfunded team at Leavine in 2020, Bell still managed a pair of top-fives and seven top-tens and was running up with the leaders in several events before falling back in the pack for various reasons. But the talent is evident, which is why Joe Gibbs would let Jones go after three seasons.
In 2021, Bell will again have a chance to dirt race and do it on the Cup Series level. NASCAR is attempting to modify Bristol Motor Speedway to be a version of Eldora.
2017 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Champion
2017 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Regular Season Champion
2017, 2018, 2019 Chili Bowl Nationals Champion
2015 Eldora Mudsummer Classic Winner
2014, 2017, 2018 Turkey Night Grand Prix winner
2013 USAC National Midget Series Champion
Christopher David Bell was born on Dec. 16, 1994 (now 26) in Norman, Oklahoma. He currently resides in Concord, NC, in the same town as the Charlotte Motor Speedway. He was married to Morgan Kemenah on Feb. 2, 2020, just weeks before he climbs into his car at Daytona for Speedweeks and the Daytona 500. His hobbies include Dirt Track Racing, iRacing, and golf.
