[autotag]Christopher Bell[/autotag] was one green flag run away from possibly winning the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series championship before Michael McDowell ran into Alex Bowman. Then, Bell brought the No. 20 car down pit road for the last pit stop of the 2022 season and that marked the end of his chances. The pit crew had a slow stop and the Joe Gibbs Racing driver couldn’t recover.
Bell’s struggles on pit road translated to the 2023 NASCAR season as his pit crew ranked 20th on four-tire pit stops. Joe Gibbs Racing realized their struggles and gave the driver of the No. 20 car a different pit crew from Ty Gibbs, which is ranked third on four tire spots. During Media Day, Bell was asked if he had practiced with them yet and gave a detailed answer.
“I did go to pit practice yesterday to certainly get acclimated with the team and let them know I’m all in,” Bell said. “I didn’t want the first time that they worked with me whenever I rolled down pit road in Darlington. On this new team, we have (Derrell Edwards). I drove for Derrell in 2021. I believe he’s the only one that I’ve driven for in the past. It’s going to be interesting to see what happens, but I’m excited about working with such a talented group.”
Ty Gibbs' team wins the Pit Crew Challenge with a time of 13.012 seconds. pic.twitter.com/izdWra6Cgb
— Dustin Albino (@DustinAlbino) May 19, 2023
“Wish nothing but greatness for the former No. 20 group. (Jackson Gibbs), (Nick McBeath), (Kevon Jackson), and all of those guys on the No. 20 group have been amazing people for me. I’m grateful to drive for them. They’ve done a really great job and I wish them nothing but success on the No. 54.”
Bell’s new group actually won the NASCAR Pit Crew Challenge at North Wilkesboro Speedway during All-Star Weekend, as seen above. If Bell wants to make another run at a championship, he will need his new pit crew to continue the success it has seen during the 2023 season.
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