Christopher Bell has started a NASCAR Cup Series race from pole six times this season.
Yet, he won none of those races.
Despite his qualifying speed, the driver of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota has only won once this season — and it followed his fourth-place qualifying effort at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway in April.
Bell is also the only playoff contender in the Round of 8 who does not have multiple victories this year. His competitors — William Byron, Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson, Chris Buescher, Tyler Reddick and Ryan Blaney — have all earned two or more victories in the last 32 races.
With that in mind, the 28-year-old recognizes it’s time for the team to make a move, starting this Sunday during the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
“We are close. We hit on it at times, and other times we are not close,” Bell said. “The Round of 8 — if you are going to make the final four — you are going to have to be racing for wins and winning races. Taking your points there is kind of gone at this point.”
The JGR driver is entering Las Vegas sixth in the standings, eight points below the cutline. Along with being at a points disadvantage, Bell admitted his playoff results from last year have left him feeling a bit unsettled.
“My Round of 8 didn’t go well because I wrecked out (at Las Vegas) and didn’t have a good Miami, but I was still able to win at Martinsville,” Bell recalled. “That will be in the back of my head that it can be done all the way to the last minute.”
He finished third in points last season — his best career effort in the Cup Series.
While Bell takes comfort in the fact that his points deficit is slim, he’s aware he’ll need to be close to perfect during the next trio of races in order to make a second trip to the Championship Four.
“If you make a mistake, you are pretty much done. It is what it is at that point, but you are going to have to put it all on the line and go for the win. If you go for a win, and you crash out, then your playoffs are pretty much over, but if you don’t go for the win and you run 10th, your playoffs are pretty much over too,” Bell said.
The Oklahoma native has spent the much of the regular season searching for the missing piece of the puzzle — the holy grail he believes has kept the No. 20 team from tapping into their full potential.
Though he isn’t sure they’ve found it in the playoffs, Bell’s outlook has certainly improved.
“I do think we are capable of winning tomorrow, and I think we are capable of winning every race between now and Phoenix,” Bell said.