“This is the best race cars I’ve ever had”: Christopher Bell makes his feelings known on Toyota’s dominance and the long road to Phoenix

Cup Series driver Christopher Bell won the Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday, September 13. After wrapping up the race, Bell was featured in a post-race interview with NASCAR analyst Bob Pockrass and got candid about Toyota dominating the playoffs.

Toyota overpowered the 500-lap race with four cars among the top 10 in the qualifying session. Bell parked his #20 Camry in P9 with a best lap time of 15.21 seconds and a top speed of 126.12 mph. He was 0.10 seconds behind the pole sitter, AJ Allmendinger, in his #16 Chevy.

Reflecting on his #20 Toyota Camry XSE performance, Christopher Bell claimed it to be the 'best race car' he drove. He further supported his statement by comparing the JGR cars to their competitors. Bell said [00:00]:

"I mean, it sure appears to be that way. And just all the Toyotas are super fast right now. And I think I said it last week in my post-race interview, that this is the best race cars I've had to drive in the Cup Series compared to the competition in my career. And, you know, I think it goes from Joe Gibbs Racing to 23XI; they've been really good. Even the legacy cars have had an amazing performance, you know, the last couple weeks."

Continuing further, Bell talked about his feelings about the Phoenix Raceway event and told the media:

"So that's a really good; that's the good news. The bad news is that we're not running Phoenix next week, and there's still a long way to go to get there. So, you know, I, I can promise you, whenever we get to Phoenix, it's not going to be a runaway."

The first race of the Round of 12, the Mobil 1 301, is scheduled on Sunday, September 21, at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. PRN, USA, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Ch. 90, and HBO Max will broadcast the 301-lap event live at 2 p.m.

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“A big deal for us”: Joe Gibbs got candid about Christopher Bell’s Bristol triumph

Joe Gibbs Racing's Toyotas dominated the first phase of the playoffs, the Round of 16, with Chase Briscoe beginning the streak after winning the Cook Out Southern 500. Denny Hamlin secured his fifth win of the season during the Enjoy Illinois 300, and the #20 Toyota Camry XSE driver, Christopher Bell, won the Bristol race.

Bell's win marked the third consecutive victory for JGR, and team owner Joe Gibbs expressed his take on how crucial the win was for the team. He told the media (SiriusXM NASCAR Radio):

“We love this place. I think it's one of the most exciting races of the year. It is just a thrill tonight. I think we have fast cars all the way around, and for Christopher to get the win was great for DeWalt. Just appreciate them, Toyota, all of our partners...just a big deal for us.”

After beginning the race from fourth place in the last restart, Christopher Bell took the lead on the closing laps of the Bass Pro Night Race. The victory marked his fourth win of the season and locked in his spot in the next phase of the 2025 season playoffs, the Round of 12, along with his teammates Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe.

Bell currently ranks fourth in the Cup Series points table with 3028 points, four wins, 16 top-10s, 10 top-fives, and one pole position this season. Additionally, he sits with a 20-point buffer above the cutoff line after his Bristol win.

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Edited by Samya Majumdar