Christopher Bell entered the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season with unfinished business. After a strong 2024 campaign that saw him win three races and lead over 1,100 laps, his title hopes were crushed in the penultimate race at Martinsville. A costly penalty kept him out of the Championship 4, leaving him to watch from the sidelines as Joey Logano clinched another title. However, Bell didn’t sulk. Instead, he used that heartbreak as fuel for redemption.
Determined to prove he belonged at the top, Bell came out swinging in 2025. He started the year with a statement win at Atlanta and quickly followed it up with another at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA). Bell had always been strong on short tracks and dirt ovals, but his road course dominance was something new. He had transformed into one of NASCAR’s best all-around drivers. While fans marveled at his rapid improvement, Bell revealed a major secret behind his success. His rise wasn’t just natural talent or hard work—it was the result of a powerful $243 billion partner shaping his journey behind the scenes.
Christopher Bell reveals the secret behind his COTA success!
For years, Christopher Bell struggled on road courses. Unlike many modern-day Cup Series drivers, he didn’t come from a background in sports cars or open-wheel racing. His roots were in dirt tracks, where sliding through corners and improvising was key. But in NASCAR, road courses required precision, braking efficiency, and mastering left-and-right turns—something Bell had little experience with. However, after his win at COTA, Bell spoke with NASCAR veteran Kevin Harvick and revealed how he mastered the road course.
On the latest episode of the Victory Lap podcast, Bell shared how Toyota’s powerhouse development program helped turn his weakness into a strength. “It was so foreign to me, like, so foreign. Jack Irving, Tyler Gibbs, and everyone at the TRD Driver Development Group put a lot of effort into getting me comfortable on the road courses. Once I got the hang of the technique of it, I actually started feeling like it related to dirt track racing, just because you’re always improvising,” Bell told Harvick.
Notably, till 2022, Bell struggled a lot at road courses. He used to have to make or break kind of results with four top-5 finishes in 14 races. However, since 2023, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver has started making some amazing efforts. In nine races, he finished outside the top 10 on just two occasions. His performance is now more consistent and improved, and it is all because of the Toyota Racing Development program.
Mar 26, 2022; Austin, Texas, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Christopher Bell (20) during the EchoPark Automotive Texas Grand Prix Qualifying at Circuit of the Americas. Mandatory Credit: Mike Dinovo-USA TODAY Sports
The program is a division of the $243 billion Japanese automotive giant. It grooms young drivers and prepares them for their future. It’s worth noting that Bell joined TRD in 2013 and since then has been an integral part of the program. And seeing his early 2025 performance he is surely going to be one of the biggest championship contenders.
Bell’s Road course skills were on full display at the 2025 EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at COTA. He battled fierce competition from Kyle Busch, Tyler Reddick, and William Byron in one of the most intense races of the season. Bell had fresher tires in the closing laps, which helped him chase down Busch and make the winning move with six laps to go.
It was a moment of redemption for Bell. In 2024, he finished second at COTA, just missing out on victory. This time, he refused to settle for anything less than first place. Despite some of the sloppiest laps of his career in the final stretch, he held off Byron and Reddick to take the checkered flag. “That was almost déjà vu of last year. I had the track position this time, and I just had to hold on,” Bell said. Notably, Bell’s amazing driving style earned him well-deserved respect from his biggest competitors, like Kyle Busch.
Bell Earns Respect from ‘Rowdy’ Kyle Busch
One year ago, Christopher Bell and Kyle Busch were at odds. At the 2024 COTA race, Bell had spun Busch, ending the hopes of the No. 8 driver to contend for the win. Although Busch managed to finish strong inside the top 10, he let his former teammate know about his feelings after the race. Known for his fiery temper, Rowdy had vowed revenge, saying, “It’s f——- coming.” But when the 2025 edition of the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix rolled around, the tone had changed.
Busch was in contention for the win, leading a race-high 42 laps and looking like the driver to beat. But when Bell forced him out of the track and took the lead on Lap 90, Busch didn’t lash out. Instead, he handled the defeat with grace. “I’ll give Christopher credit… He ran really hard, and I was a complete b—head. He did a great job working me over and just doing it the right way… So, congrats to him, congrats to the 20 bunch. But I wish it was us,” Busch told after the race.
For Bell, the battle with Busch brought back memories of last year. He knew how dangerous Busch could be, which is why he made sure to race him cleanly. “Whenever Kyle was leading, I was just trying to be so cautious. Obviously, we know what happened last year. I didn’t want that to happen. I wanted to pass him clean,” Bell admitted.
While Busch didn’t win, the two drivers put on one of the best shows in recent road course history. The Richard Childress Racing driver showed maturity by acknowledging Bell’s talent. And for Bell, earning the respect of a two-time Cup champion was almost as satisfying as the win itself.
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