Getty Christopher Bell will reach 100 career Cup Series starts in 2022.
The driver of the No. 20 will kick off his third full-time season on February 20 with the Daytona 500. Christopher Bell will enter the year with 72 career NASCAR Cup Series starts, and he will have the opportunity to hit No. 100 in 2022.
Bell began his Cup Series career in 2020 as a driver for Leavine Family Racing. He made 36 starts in the No. 95 and ended his rookie year with seven top-10 finishes and two top-fives. His best performance during the year was a third-place run at Texas Motor Speedway on October 28, 2020.
Bell’s lone season with Leavine Family Racing led to an opportunity with a powerhouse organization. He replaced Erik Jones in the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry and made the playoffs for the first time in his brief career. Now he will strive to surpass a career season while moving toward 100 starts.
Bell Contended Throughout the 2021 Season
GettyChristopher Bell celebrates a win at the Daytona Road Course.
While he fell just short of winning Rookie of the Year in 2020 due to Cole Custer winning at Kentucky and reaching the playoffs, Bell enjoyed a career year with JGR. He won the second race of the year — the O’Reilly Auto Parts 253 at the Daytona Road Course on February 21 — and secured his spot in the playoffs.
With the win on his resume, Bell continued to contend with the No. 20 Toyota. He racked up 16 top-10 finishes and seven top-fives, a list that includes runner-up finishes at Watkins Glen International and New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Bell reached the Round of 12 during the playoffs but fell just shy of the Round of Eight after a 24th-place finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway put him into a points deficit. He entered the elimination race at the Charlotte Roval 28 points below the cutline and was essentially in a must-win situation. An eighth-place finish was not enough to help him move to the Round of Eight.
Along with his win at the Daytona Road Course, Bell also reached Victory Lane in the Xfinity Series. He made his first of two starts at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and put on a dominant performance. He swept all three stages and remained perfect at the track with his third win in three starts.
Bell Will First Take On a Prestigious Event in Oklahoma
Wrapped in @DEWALTtough and ready for @TulsaShootout! #DEWALTtough #TeamToyota
While Bell will have goals of adding more wins to his resume in 2022, he will first focus on a different style of competition. He will take on the prestigious Tulsa Shootout in Oklahoma, the largest event for micro sprint racing.
Bell posted a photo that showed him standing between his two race vehicles. Both of the No. 21 entries featured DeWalt branding and colors, highlighting a partner that joined him on the No. 20 Toyota for multiple races in 2022. DeWalt also took over the No. 54 Toyota for Bell’s Xfinity Series win.
According to the Tulsa Shootout entry lists, Bell will compete across multiple classes. He will compete in Winged Outlaw, Non-Wing Outlaw, Winged A-Class, and Stock Non-Wing. He will also face off with 2020 Camping World Truck Series champion Sheldon Creed in multiple class races.
Bell has a previous win in the Tulsa Shootout. He took the checkered flag in the Winged Outlaw class in 2018. Bell, who won the Chili Bowl that same year, held off Miles Paulus to lock up the Golden Driller trophy. Now he will try to add even more to his trophy case.
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