During his fourth season in the NASCAR Cup Series, Christopher Bell advanced to the Championship 4 for a second consecutive year.
The No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing driver may have been a quiet force, but Bell’s consistency eventually paid off and the Oklahoma native was in contention for his first career title at the season’s end.
Unfortunately, the right front brake rotor on his Toyota exploded on lap 108 during the Nov. 5 finale at Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway, which caused him to finish last in the 36-car field and fourth in the championship.
Prior to that, Bell earned two victories — one at the Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway dirt race in April and another at Homestead-Miami Speedway during the Round of 8. He raised his Cup Series win total to six.
The then-28-year-old also collected 10 top-fives and 19 top-10s. He led 599 laps.
“It stings to not have a shot at the end of it obviously. I’m very proud of the effort put forth by our team to get to the Championship 4, but I do feel like we left a lot on the table at various races throughout the year,” Bell said at Phoenix.