Say what you mean about the tire experiment at Bristol, but it definitely delivered quite an exciting race. Leading into the Bass Pro Shops Night Race, Goodyear brought in a new, soft right-side tire to cater to temperatures that cooled down significantly from afternoon highs into the 70s. To top that, quicker wear was prioritized, making tire management by drivers and crews a key variable. All of that set the stage for Christopher Bell’s dramatic win. However, now reflecting on the race, he dropped the hammer on his verdict of the tire situation.

Most teams walked into the race expecting business as usual. Practice had gone off without a hitch, tire wear looked minimal, and the assumption was that the race would be smooth sailing. Those expectations blew up almost immediately. Within the first 30 laps, tire degradation became the storyline, flipping strategies on their head and forcing crews to scramble as conditions shifted lap by lap. And reflecting on a redemptive weekend at Bristol, Christopher Bell couldn’t help but point out the tire struggles.

Speaking to Racing America, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver went off on the tire gamble: “Bristol has become one of the most unpredictable races and tracks on the schedule between the 2024 race where we had the first tire fiasco and then we go back into the fall or it’s completely normal when we’re expecting to have the tire problem and then we go in 2025 practice, there’s a bunch of tire wear, everyone’s expecting that and then the race turns out normal.”

“And then fast forward to last week, practice was completely normal, and then the race was weird again, so. It’s become too unpredictable, and you have no idea what you’re preparing for. And I think that, that, you know, provides a lot of entertainment for the bands and definitely keeps the competitors on your toe.” 

During the spring Bristol race last year, tire wear unexpectedly soared, turning what many assumed would be a standard short track slog into one of the most chaotic showdowns of the season. The track’s surface, usually sticky from accumulated rubber, resisted taking grip, and tires began to degrade much faster than anticipated. Teams found themselves losing performance, upping lap times, sliding through corners, and having to pit earlier than hoped. The race exploded with 54 lead changes reported, and what should’ve been a predictable race became a wild, tire-management showdown. And this year? The story was completely different.

Once the race kicked off Saturday night, things changed fast. Cooler track and ambient temperatures made the softer right-side rubber degrade much more quickly than expected. The cause of that rapid tire wear was that teams found themselves making unscheduled stops under the green, trying to avoid being completely hobbled by worn tires.

The tire issues also led NASCAR to release an extra set of right-side tires mid-race to prevent more widespread problems. Even Ryan Blaney couldn’t help but go off on the tires. He said, “It was another one of those things where we thought we knew what the tire was gonna do and it did something completely different.” Drivers reported that they were sliding more, having to back off earlier than planned, trying to save their tire life, and in many cases being very aware of when their right-side tires were starting to go, the track service lost grip, and marbles built up outside the groove quicker than ideal.

When the dust settled, it all came down to a four-lap shootout. Christopher Bell, restarting second on the inside lane, seized the moment. Hugging the lower groove through Turn 2, he powered past Zane Smith and Carson Hocevar. Then he edged out Brad Keselowski by 0.343 seconds to snap his 24-race winless streak, a decisive move that sealed his path to victory. But with great momentum on his side, Bell isn’t getting too comfortable about his stance during the finale at Phoenix.

Christopher Bell sounds off about his chances at the season finale

Amid Dale Jr.’s initially pining for the tire experiment at Bristol and fans hating it, Bell has now moved forward. With an honest admission, the No. 20 driver has sounded off on his championship hopes. With six races left before the Cup Series showdown in Phoenix, Christopher Bell isn’t letting anyone at Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing, or their affiliates get too comfortable. Despite their recent streak, Christopher made it clear that the road to the desert won’t be a cakewalk. The Cup racing thrives on chaos, and he warns Phoenix will be more of a slugfest than a Sunday cruise for any team.

Bell said with conviction, “The bad news is we’re not running (the championship and season-ending race at) Phoenix next week, and there’s still a long way to go to get there. I can promise you, whenever we get to Phoenix, it’s not going to be a runaway. No matter who’s in that Final Four, it’s always a dogfight. It’s always a good race.”

His words carried weight, reminding fans and crew that dominance doesn’t guarantee destiny. Yes, Toyota and JGR may be firing on all cylinders with Chase Briscoe winning at Darlington and Denny Hamlin winning at Gateway, but Bell urged everyone to pump the brakes on overconfidence.

Bell’s reality check also cast a spotlight on his teammates like Denny Hamlin, Chase Briscoe, and the rest of the championship hopefuls. Each one has to stay sharp and hungry if they want a shot at hoisting that Cup. With tire strategies evolving, lineups stacked with hungry contenders, and unpredictable racing in weak conditions, Phoenix is shaping up to be the kind of barn burner that NASCAR fans live for. In Bell’s eyes, it won’t just be a finale; it’ll be a fight to the finish.