Christopher Bell seems prepared to test his recuperation once more, three weeks after fracturing his wrist in a devastating collision at Michigan International Speedway. As part of a conservative rehabilitation strategy, Bell gave rookie Brent Crews the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota at the first caution after starting last weekend’s race at Naval Base Coronado. However, this time, with NASCAR heading to Sonoma Raceway, Bell has made it clear he intends to stay behind the wheel with a bold seven-word verdict.

Christopher Bell refuses to sit out Sonoma

“Last week, after driving the car, I felt really, really good in the car through practice, and then even at the start of the race, I felt really well. I wanted to race, but the team around me felt pretty committed just going down the avenue of risk management at San Diego, with the tight confines of the concrete walls around you all the way around. So yeah, opted to sit out that one, and I feel I’m not getting out of this one,” he told Bob Pockrass of Fox Sports.

That determination comes after one of the hardest stretches of Christopher Bell’s season. On Lap 148 of the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway, Chase Elliott’s No. 9 Chevrolet got loose on a restart and drifted into Bell entering Turn 3. Both cars slammed into the outside SAFER barrier at nearly 200 mph. Bell was evaluated and released from the infield care center, but the full extent of his injuries emerged later.

It was eventually confirmed that Christopher Bell suffered a fractured left wrist along with an injured ankle. Despite that setback, he climbed back into the car the very next week at Pocono Raceway and nearly pulled off one of the grittiest victories of his career. Racing through pain, Bell stayed in contention all afternoon and was in position to win before a fuel-mileage gamble came up short. His car ran out of gas on the final lap. This turned what could have been a remarkable comeback victory into heartbreak.

The following weekend at NASCAR’s inaugural street race in San Diego, Bell again started the event but stepped aside under caution as part of a planned driver swap. Rookie Brent Crews took over driving duties after the opening stage, allowing Bell to avoid the added risk posed by the concrete-lined, highly technical street circuit.

Fortunately for Bell, the wrist fracture did not involve any displaced bones and required no surgery, but it did require a cast, though. The biggest challenge now is simply adapting to driving with a cast on his left arm rather than managing pain itself. As the recovery progresses, Bell hopes to leave the injury behind and refocus on qualifying for the playoffs and returning to Victory Lane.

Even so, Joe Gibbs Racing is keeping a backup plan ready. Crews will remain on standby throughout Sunday’s race in case Bell experiences any issues and needs to hand over the No. 20 Toyota before the checkered flag.

Bell might be responsible for the injury himself

“Knew my wrist was broken right away because I couldn’t disconnect my shirt,” Christopher Bell told reporters. “I still had hands on the wheel, hands turned left, and then my left hand, which was on the bottom, my wrist was bent over like that on the underside of the wheel, and then just the force into the steering wheel.”

That explanation may also reveal exactly how the fracture occurred. Bell kept both hands firmly planted on the steering wheel through the Michigan impact, which meant the violent force of the crash traveled directly into his lower left wrist. Once a stock car is headed into the wall at nearly 200 mph, steering inputs no longer influence the outcome. Instead, the tires, suspension, and steering column absorb the impact and transfer that energy back into the wheel, placing enormous stress on the driver’s hands and wrists.

The incident reignited an old debate about crash technique. Denny Hamlin, who went on to win the race Bell exited, later referenced the importance of protecting your hands during major impacts. Hamlin defended Danica Patrick’s much-discussed decision to remove her hands from the wheel before a hard crash at Daytona years ago, calling it “the smartest thing you can do” in those situations.

For Bell, though, the focus is now firmly on recovery rather than replaying what happened.

“I think the natural transition will be to go from a cast to some sort of brace. It’ll be a little bit before I have freedom again, but hopefully the days of the cast are dwindling down, which I’m excited about.”

That progress is encouraging for both Bell and Joe Gibbs Racing. While the wrist is still healing, Bell appears determined to keep racing. And if Sonoma goes according to plan, the No. 20 team may finally be able to put the injury saga behind them and focus entirely on chasing wins again.