Don’t count out Christopher Bell in today’s NASCAR Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway.
The 27-year-old Joe Gibbs Racing driver has proven that in the last two cutoff races in the 10-race NASCAR Playoffs.
Bell was pretty much out of contention at the end of the Round of 12 at the BankofAmerica ROVAL 400.
“I have never in my life experienced anything like that,” Bell said. “Just the absolute lowest of lows to the highest of highs. At the Charlotte road course, a matter of minutes, from thinking the race is over till the yellow flag coming out and winning the race.
“It was definitely an extreme high at the Charlotte road course and definitely an extreme low at Vegas when we were crashed out.
“The defining moment for me would be Charlotte road course being down and out, then performing our best when it matters most at the end of that race.
“I think that really says a lot about our team because it would have been very easy to give up going into the Roval, which we knew was not going to be a great race for us,” Bell continued. “As it turned out, it was not a great race. We were back half of the top 10 car. The yellow flag came out, and we were able to perform how we needed to perform to win.”
Bell did the same last Sunday in the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway in the cutoff race that determined the Championship Four.
In both instances, Bell delivered walk-off victories.
The 27-year-old Bell starts 17th in the No. 20 DeWalt Toyota for Job Gibbs Racing. Joey Logano of Team Penske starts on the pole in the No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford. Chase Elliott starts fifth in the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. Ross Chastain starts 25th in the TrackHouse Chevrolet.
Despite starting 17th, Bell knows that he can come back and win the race. After all, he has won the two previous elimination contests in spectacular fashion.
“I guess it has taught me to not give up,” Bell said. “It’s a long race, 300-plus laps. I feel a lot better about it than I did at Martinsville, that’s for sure. I think at Martinsville we qualified 20th. We’re 17th now. I’m OK with it. We’ll see what happens when they drop the green flag, and hopefully I can move forward.
“I have to win the race before you can win the championship.”
Bell won the USAC Midget championship 10 years ago with Toyota. He hopes to give Toyota a NASCAR Cup Series championship Sunday at Phoenix.
“I think I’m in the best position to win the championship because our cars have been extremely fast week in and week out,” Bell said. “I feel like I’ve got the best team out of the four.
“I definitely like our chances.”
Bell admitted that as a kid, he never dreamed of winning a NASCAR Cup Series Championship.
But here he is, one win away from a career-defining moment.
“As a kid growing up, I never thought I would be contending for a Cup championship,” he said. “I’m just trying to soak it all in and make sure that I’m ready to perform my best on Sunday.”