Getty Christopher Bell celebrates a playoff win at Martinsville Speedway.
Christopher Bell is back at Joe Gibbs Racing after a career season in 2022. Now he will have a brand new DeWalt scheme as he pursues more wins and a return to the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.
JGR revealed the new scheme on January 18. The team showed that the No. 20 Toyota Camry TRD Pro will still have the black and yellow colors, but there will be some changes for 2023. Most notable will be the addition of black and white stripes on either side of the grill, which continue along the bottom of the doors.
🔔 UNVEIL 🔔
@CBellRacing and the No. 20 team are geared up for the 2023 #NASCAR season in the @DEWALTtough Toyota Camry TRD.
Bell showcased DeWalt multiple times during the 2022 season as part of a longstanding relationship between the tool company and Joe Gibbs Racing. He also celebrated some clutch wins while driving the black and yellow No. 20 Toyota.
The first was the cutoff race at the Charlotte Roval. Bell headed to the track in a must-win situation after a crash at Texas Motor Speedway and a 17th-place finish at Talladega Superspeedway. He immediately delivered a win at the road course and moved on to the Round of Eight.
Bell’s second clutch win was the most important of the season. He headed to Martinsville Speedway in a must-win situation once again after a crash at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Bell only started 20th overall in the DeWalt Toyota, but he led multiple times at the short track. This included the final five laps after he was able to overtake Chase Briscoe. Bell won the race and punched his ticket to the championship four for the first time in his career.
Joe Gibbs Racing Also Set DeWalt’s Schedule
GettyChristopher Bell prepares for the Cup Series championship.
As part of the scheme reveal, Joe Gibbs Racing also confirmed which races will feature DeWalt as Bell’s primary partner. There are currently 10 on the list heading toward 2023.
The driver of the No. 20 will first show off the new DeWalt scheme at Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 19. He will then bring it back for FOX races at Circuit of the Americas (March 26), Bristol Motor Speedway (April 9), Darlington Raceway (May 14), and World Wide Technology Raceway (June 4).
The NBC portion of the schedule will also feature a heavy dose of the DeWalt Toyota. Bell will run the scheme at Nashville Superspeedway (June 25), Watkins Glen International (August 20), Kansas Speedway (September 10), Talladega Superspeedway (October 1), and Charlotte Roval (October 8).
Bell Will Reunite With a Winning Group
GettyChristopher Bell makes a pit stop at Talladega Superspeedway.
Bell is only entering his third Cup Series season with Joe Gibbs Racing, but he is a key part of the organization. Team owner Joe Gibbs confirmed as much on October 13 when he revealed that Bell had signed a long-term deal early in the 2022 season.
The 2023 season will feature Bell back in the No. 20, and he will continue working with Adam Stevens and a standout pit crew. He may get all of the attention on the track, but the group surrounding him played a critical role during his playoff run.
“I mean, they’re troopers,” Bell told Heavy in early November 2022. “I will never forget going to the Charlotte road course. I was deflated, man, I was gone. I was ready for the offseason. And they knocked it out of the park, they brought a great racecar and treated it as if we were leading the points. And we were last in the points.
“And [it] allowed us to win that race. And then the exact same thing happened at Martinsville. So I think that just goes to show the never-quit attitude in all my mechanics, my engineers, Adam — the crew chief. And then even as down as I am, as a driver, I feel like whenever I put my helmet on, I’m able to get in the mode and put that all behind.”
Will this reunion with the No. 20 team lead to more success on the track? Bell doesn’t know the answer, nor does Joe Gibbs Racing. However, the plan is to return to the championship four while representing DeWalt and other important sponsors.