“If Bell makes it, he becomes the favorite”: NASCAR insider ranks JGR star over teammates Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe at Phoenix 

NASCAR insider Jeff Gluck has shared his preference for the Cup Series finale race. He ranked Christopher Bell above his Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) teammates.

Bell is ranked third, 37 points above the cutline, in the playoff standings ahead of the Round of 8 final race at Martinsville. Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe won the last two races and locked in the Championship 4.

During the latest episode of The Teardown podcast, Gluck explained why the No. 20 Toyota driver might be the clear favorite when the series heads to Phoenix Raceway for the final race of the season.

"If Bell makes it, I think Bell becomes a favorite of the JGR drivers," Gluck said. "If a team Pensky cars in, they're the favorite for Phoenix. If they if it's like Larson or Byron or Elliot. I have to put the JGR I have to put the Hendrick Car forth and JGR above them. ... Not saying they couldn't do it because execution-wise I think Hendrick always finds a way. But speedwise you're going to think, okay, JGR maybe has the edge there. So, if Bell makes it, I think I have to put Bell over Brisco and Hamlin," he added.

Bell is also the defending Cup winner at Phoenix. He led the most laps and showed strong short-track command there earlier this season. The 30-year-old also won the spring race at the 1-mile oval in 2024 but is ranked below Hamlin, Kyle Larson, and William Byron in average finish (10.1) there.

Meanwhile, Briscoe's first NASCAR Cup win came at Phoenix in 2022. He finished 35th in the March race, following a 36th-place finish in November 2024, and has an even lower average finish of 15.6 at the track. The No. 19 driver has reached the Championship 4 for the first time in his Cup career.

Christopher Bell in similar spot as 2024 NASCAR playoffs

Christopher Bell finished eighth at Talladega last Sunday and is just one point ahead of Kyle Larson, who ended up with a 26th-place finish.

If any of the drivers below the cutline wins at Martinsville this week, the driver in fourth place would get eliminated. William Byron, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott have all won at Martinsville. Byron and Blaney are two-time winners at the track, while Elliott secured a win there in 2020.

Last season, Bell was in a similar spot but got eliminated after his last-lap wall ride attempt at Martinsville Speedway. NASCAR said that the move compromised safety and penalized him accordingly. That decision dropped him from 18th to 22nd place and removed him from contention for the Championship 4 berth.

The second last race of the 2025 NASCAR Cup season is scheduled for this Sunday, October 26.

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Edited by Hitesh Nigam