The Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway was Christopher Bell’s moment to shine. For 496 laps, the No. 20 Toyota hung in the top 10, dodging the chaos of 14 cautions, fiery Fords, and mechanical woes that took out veterans like Denny Hamlin. Then, with four laps left, Bell unleashed a masterclass, slicing from fifth to first on fresh Goodyears, outrunning a field worn down by tire-shredding chaos.

Brad Keselowski’s last-ditch bump and run in the final corner tested Bell’s nerve, but he held steady, crossing the line 0.343 seconds ahead for his first Bristol Cup win. It was Joe Gibbs Racing’s third straight playoff victory, a Round of 16 sweep, and a loud statement: Bell’s a championship contender. But it’s not just about wins for Bell’s team.

Crew chief Adam Stevens peeled back the curtain on their true goal, the 2025 Cup title. His candid take revealed a season of missed opportunities but a laser focus on the big prize, even after Bell’s fiery Gateway rant showed the pressure bubbling under the surface.

Stevens eyes the prize, not the noise

On SiriusXM, Adam Stevens didn’t shy away from the No. 20 team’s ups and downs. “There’s plenty of things about this year that bother me, but people’s opinions or articles don’t really register with me… we do need to be leading more laps. Looking back through the finishes we’ve just had way too many incidents, crashes, spins, speeding on pit road, and just a lot of things we need to clean up,” he said.

Bell’s 2025 season has been a rollercoaster: a 9.8 average running position and 13.4 average start show top-tier speed, but the four wins lag behind Hamlin’s five and Briscoe’s 770+ laps led. Mishaps like a Kansas speeding penalty, Darlington contact, and Atlanta pit woes have cost Bell victories, with only 500 laps led compared to teammates’ higher counts. Stevens knows the team’s cars are fast enough to dominate; they just need cleaner execution.

He got to the heart of it, “As a team, we’ve put cars on the racetrack capable of winning more races than we have in any year. We just haven’t been able to do it as a team. But the first goal when we sit down every year is to win the championship… everything up to that is a stepping stone goal.” Bell’s Bristol win, built on a late pit call for fresh tires, showed JGR’s championship blueprint.

In 2022 and 2023, Bell reached the Championship 4 with clutch Martinsville performances, not the most wins, echoing Kyle Busch’s 2019 title run. Stevens’ focus on “stepping stones” highlights Bell’s ability to peak when it counts, even if miscues at Gateway and Richmond left wins on the table.

Stevens doubled down, “We wanted to win the regular season championship and we did… but that doesn’t prevent us from racing for this championship. We set lofty goals and when you set lofty goals you open the window to be disappointed when you don’t achieve them. But you have to prioritize those goals and keep your eyes on the prize.”

Bristol’s win, paired with strong stage points, gives Bell a safety net heading to Loudon, where his 2024 win and 8.7 average finish make him a favorite. Stevens’ championship-or-bust mindset brushes off the season’s stumbles, keeping the No. 20 locked on Phoenix.

Bell’s Gateway rant ties to title hunger

Stevens’ championship talk connects directly to Bell’s fiery side, which boiled over at Gateway’s Enjoy Illinois 300. Finishing seventh with a car Bell believed was the fastest on track, he let loose on the radio, frustrated with his crew’s satisfaction. “We just f-ing ran seventh with the best car on the track! Every f-ing week, it’s the same s–t. We’re the last car to pit road. I’m over it,” he vented after crew chief Stevens said, “Checkered flag. P7. That’s what we needed today. Takes the pressure off next week.”

With teammates Hamlin and Briscoe taking first and second, Bell’s outburst reflected his hunger for wins, not just solid finishes. On NASCAR’s The Day After post-Bristol, he owned it, “You’re human. No other professional sport has microphones inside the helmet… I feel bad that it went viral. I didn’t intend for it to go viral.”

Bell’s clarity stood out, “I bet you, NFL wide receivers and NBA players, they probably have very similar discards of emotion… I’m going to call it that.” He knows Stevens and the No. 20 crew want to win as badly as he does, and their synergy, evident in Bristol’s flawless late-race strategy, keeps them tight.

The Gateway rant, while raw, showed the same title hunger Stevens preached on SiriusXM. Bell’s frustration wasn’t about division but about pushing for the championship, not settling for seventh. His Bristol triumph, shrugging off Keselowski’s bump, proved he can channel that fire into results.