On Sunday, Christopher Bell was able to get redemption and avenge the defeat he suffered at Phoenix Raceway back in November when competing for the Cup Series championship.
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Back in November, Bell went into Phoenix as a part of the championship 4 with a chance to win the championship. He looked to have a car to that could win the race and the championship until a brake rotor blew out and sent the No. 20 car into the outside wall on lap 106. That wreck ended his day and his chances at hoisting the championship trophy for the first time.
Fast forward to this weekend's race and the outcome was completely different. Bell had the fastest car in Phoenix and despite a 13th place starting position, he was able to win the second stage and eventually win the race.
The win didn't come without any adversity as a slow pit stop during the Stage 2 break saw Bell go from first to tenth. Then on the final pit stop, multiple strategies mixed up the running order, which left Bell in 20th place for the final restart with 91 laps to go. With 40 laps remaining, Bell's Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Martin Truex Jr. pitted from the lead handing first place to the No. 20. From there Bell didn't look back and he went on to score his seventh career victory in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Winning races with cars that fast is what Bell is hoping to do multiple times this year.
"Hopefully, this is the first of many this year!"- Christopher Bell and @JoeGibbsRacing get it done in the desert! 🌵🏁@phoenixraceway | @CBellRacing pic.twitter.com/Q7QwStHaZd
— Regan Smith (@ReganSmith) March 10, 2024
"You don't get cars like that very often as you know," Bell told FOX Sports' Regan Smith after the race. "Just super super proud to be on this 20 car. This Rheem Camry was amazing today. I feel like we have capability of running races like this a lot, so I hope this is the first of many this year."
According to Stephen Stumpf of Frontstretch, Bell's margin of victory at Phoenix was 5.465 seconds and that is the largest MOV in the Next Gen era.
Bell's victory at Phoenix is the first for the new Toyota Camry car, which breaks the stranglehold Chevrolet enjoyed by sweeping the first three races in the 2024 Cup season.
Bell had the fastest car in Phoenix and that could be big if Bell returns to the Championship 4 later this year because the No. 20 team would be the championship favorites heading into that race.
