[autotag]Christopher Bell[/autotag] came out of nowhere during the 2022 playoffs and made the Championship 4; however, Bell came up just short of his first NASCAR Cup Series title due to a late caution. Still, it was very impressive to watch the Joe Gibbs Racing driver take the checkered flag in two must-win situations during the Round of 12 and Round of 8.
Now, Bell is looking to make sure he is not in that spot again during the 2023 NASCAR playoffs as it would mean his back is against a wall. During Thursday afternoon’s Playoff Media Day, Bell was asked if his mindset is different entering the postseason compared to last year due to his newly found experience.
“Sitting here today, I would say that I have the same mindset, but just the ups and downs that we went through last year, I don’t want to go through that again,” Bell said. “I would love to not have a DNF at Texas, the first of the Round of 12, and not have a DNF at (Las Vegas), the first of the Round of 8.”
CHRISTOPHER BELL WINS THE DIRT RACE AT BRISTOL! pic.twitter.com/tkNfFFFyYX
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) April 10, 2023
“Consistency has been our Achilles heel for the (No. 20 car), and hopefully we can do a better job of that and level it out a little more, instead of having these peaks and valleys.”
Bell enters the 10-race stretch with the seventh-most playoff points so there is not much room for error due to how close the entire field is in the standings. The driver of the No. 20 car certainly has the talent to win a Cup Series championship but he needs to be consistent to make it happen.
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