Christopher Bell delivered another strong showing at Watkins Glen, backing up his road course reputation with a steady, calculated drive that kept him near the front all afternoon. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver avoided major mistakes, executed strategy cleanly, and methodically worked his way into position for a late-race charge. While Shane van Gisbergen (SVG) dominated for the win, Bell’s day was defined by consistency. From his early pace in Stage 1 to his top five in Stage 2, he positioned himself for maximum points and another podium result, finishing second for the second time this year to SVG on a road course. However, Bell would have liked to win better, and now he finally opens up about his weakness.
Christopher Bell and Shane van Gisbergen have formed one of the season’s most compelling road course rivalries. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver started 9th for the Go Bowling at the Glen and executed a patient, calculated progression through the field to finish second. The calculated climb showcased the cohesive effort between driver and crew, as they capitalized on strategy and on-track consistency to earn that solid result behind Shane van Gisbergen.
In 2025, SVG has produced two of the most commanding victories of the season, winning Mexico City by 16.567 seconds and then pulling away at Watkins Glen by 11.116 seconds. And Christopher Bell finished a distant second on both occasions, underscoring the gap between SVG’s road course mastery and the rest of the field. SVG’s dominance extends across nearly every road and street course this year, with four wins out of five; his only miss being the Circuit of the Americas, where Christopher Bell managed to claim the top spot. That victory at COTA remains Bell’s brightest moment in this series of high-speed battles on pavement and street.
Speaking to NASCAR on Fox post-race, the No. 20 driver couldn’t help but feel a bittersweet joy of bringing it home in second. He said, “Yeah. I mean, I’m thrilled because we’ve been struggling a little bit to, you know, find a rhythm, and I feel like the cars have been good. Just trying to execute the races has been tough for us. So, really awesome to have a good day. Frustrated to get our butts kicked by the 88 (Shane van Gisbergen) or 88 car. He’s doing such a really good job that team’s got it going on. And yeah, just need to find a little bit more, but extremely happy. It was a good day for our DeWalt Cameron.”
Christopher Bell kept himself in contention throughout the early portions of the Watkins Glen race, running consistently inside the top five during both opening stages. In Stage 1, he maintained a solid pace and avoided trouble, positioning the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota for a strong point haul. Bell carried that momentum into Stage 2, where he stayed in the lead pack and ultimately crossed the line in third at the stage’s conclusion, trailing only Ryan Blaney and William Byron. That steady performance in the first segment at the stage led to his late race charge to a runner-up finish.
The Joe Gibbs Racing driver added, “I just don’t know how I stacked up against him (SVG). So, you know, throughout the early part of the race, I just I did a really bad job on restarts and got swallowed up, and I felt like, you know, I had what I needed to, you know, finish where we did. I don’t know if I could have ran with him, but, you know, throughout the first and second stage, just really struggled to get the track position because I couldn’t execute the restarts very well.”
As of now, Christopher Bell ranks among the top drivers of the season with three wins, nine top fives, and 14 top tens across 22 races. With an average starting spot of 14.5 and an average finish of 12.4, Bell’s performance paints a picture of consistency and competitiveness throughout the year. His 2025 NASCAR Cup campaign, among his Truck Series runs, demonstrates both his ability to compete and his patience in the face of dominant performances from rivals like SVG. His Watkins Glen effort underlined his strategic capability and the potential to convert runner-up finishes into wins, keeping his championship hopes firmly alive.
Christopher Bell breaks down how dirty air affected his hunt for a second-place finish
Driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, Bell found himself navigating a web of strategies that played a central role in shaping Sunday’s race. While some drivers gambled on long distances and others fitted early to gain track position, he maintained a measured approach. His third-place run at the close of stage 2 positioned him well for the final segment, but the path forward still required overtaking multiple competitors to reach the front. As the laps wound down, Bell zeroed in on Chris Buescher ahead of him, mounting a calculated charge. The battle came to a head just before the checkered flag, where Bell’s persistence paid off with a decisive pass.
Along the way, he had to contend with the notorious dirty air effect produced by the next GEN cars, a factor that disrupts airflow, heats up brakes, and reduces grip. He explained, “I wanted to get to [Buescher] for sure. Dirty air… dirty air is so bad. You can close the gap, and once you get to two car lengths back, you can just feel the hot air—even the air that is going through your helmet. It gets hot, the brakes get hot, you lose grip, and you stall out.”
With the last 46 laps running caution-free, Christopher Bell was forced to rely solely on raw space rather than benefiting from restarts. Despite the aerodynamic hurdles, he managed to break through the air disturbance and make his move. He said, “I was moving pretty good so I was content with no yellows and just letting it run green. Thankfully, I had enough pace so I could break through that bubble and get by him. It took a little bit longer than I wanted to.”
The runner-up finish was Bell’s 4th second-place result since his last victory at Phoenix in March, a sign of consistent speed and resilience even without sealing his win. His Watkins Glen performance underlined not only his adaptability to different strategic scenarios but also his determination to keep Joe Gibbs Racing in the hunt for another trip to Victory Lane as the season rolls on.
The post Christopher Bell Admits Weakness Which Cost Him Win in Watkins Glen appeared first on EssentiallySports.
