(Photo: Wayne Riegle | The Podium Finish)
LOUDON, N.H. — Christopher Bell didn’t sugarcoat it. In order for him to stay in the mix for the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series regular-season championship, he needs to run well at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
“We are in a really, really important battle for the regular season championship,” Bell said in a press conference. “There are a lot of guys in the hunt. I have one of the best racecars that I’ve had all year this weekend, we need to capitalize on that. The 20 group needs to capitalize on that and capture as many points as we can. This is a pivotal race for the regular season championship.”
Bell, 28, sits fourth in driver’s points, 37 behind William Byron for the series lead. He’s one of four drivers with 10 or more top-10 finishes and has a win at Bristol Dirt to secure a spot in the Playoffs.
Last year, however, Bell faced a different scenario when he came to Loudon. He found himself trending on the wrong side of the points and likely would have missed the Playoffs without a victory. Instead, he roared to his first victory at The Magic Mile, beginning a tear that led to two more wins and a Championship 4 run.
However, Bell views the points battle nearly the same as he did last year. Instead of pursuing a playoff spot in the summer stretch, he’s looking toward his first regular-season championship despite hiccups at the Chicago Street Course and Atlanta Motor Speedway.
(Photo: Josh Jones | The Podium Finish)
“I would say [the approach] is almost identical except for the people that you are watching on a regular basis are different,” Bell said. “Whenever I was on that Playoff bubble, you are paying attention to the guys on the Playoff bubble and really anyone behind it that maybe in contention to win. I remember going back to Sonoma last year – I had a terrible race, and we were right around that Playoff bubble line and the entire top-three or top-five was behind me in points, so someone who won the race was going to bump me out of it.
“Here we are – a year later – and you are focusing on those three or four cars who are racing for the points, and one mistake or bad stage and you can lose a lot of points very quickly. William (Bryon) has a little bit of a gap on us but all it takes is one bad race and he is back there with us. We have a lot of cars that we are trying to keep up with and outrun.
“My finishes have been atrocious lately and we are still right in the hunt, so that is a good thing for me, so hopefully, if we can start cleaning up our finishes, I will be able to capitalize on that.”
Bell’s 2022 victory at New Hampshire is no fluke. In eight national series starts, Bell has won five of them and has only finished outside the top two once. He’s won all three Xfinity Series starts at the track.
Bell also got additional track time at New Hampshire in the spring, completing a tire test for Goodyear. Compared to last year, teams are using a softer tire that’s intended to lead to more falloff.
(Photo: Sam Draiss | The Podium Finish)
“I think the tire is going to be a step in the right direction,” Bell said. “It is hard to pinpoint what the difference is in the tires because whenever we were here 12 months ago, we had a spoiler that was four times what we have now. I think with the tire with the aim to have more fall off – it is slicker over a long run with a little itty-bitty spoiler in the back, you are going to see a lot of sliding around and that is what the drivers want.
“[New Hampshire] is a place where your driver technique, and your feet, and your hands dictate a lot of what the car does. If you are a little bit loose, you can kind of change your line around. There is a bunch of banking transition and seams and at one point they put PJ1 down that would manipulate your car, and now they don’t put the grip down, but there is a little bit left. It’s just a place where you can really change how the car is driving. You are not stuck to one driving style or one line. It is a place you can find a way moving forward as long as your car is in the ballpark.”
Bell will look to defend his victory from the pole on Monday at 12:oo p.m. ET after rain led to a postponement on Sunday. The race will broadcast on USA Network, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
