“Every F***ing Week”: Joe Gibbs’ NASCAR Driver Exposes Getway Blunders in Fiery Radio Rant

“Last year, we came so close to winning at WWT Raceway. So yeah, I’m excited about it being in the playoffs.” Christopher Bell’s words of enthusiasm going into Gateway made sense. Joe Gibbs’ stellar driver put up an excellent performance in 2024, finishing in 7th place. With a solid average finish of 9.0 in three starts, a lot of eyes were on Bell to perform well in the second race of the 2025 Cup Series playoffs. However, Bell’s team could not build on its momentum last year.

Christopher Bell was fresh off a disastrous outing in Darlington Raceway. Twin incidents of tangling with Carson Hocevar left him nursing his wounds from a 29th-place finish. That is why the pain of not being able to compensate properly threw Bell into a fit of rage.

Christopher Bell takes it out on his team

A week ago in Darlington, mistakes plagued two of Joe Gibbs’ brightest. Denny Hamlin, the highest prospect entering the egg-shaped oval, faced an issue with his back right tire. That cost him his pole-sitting position, and Hamlin had to start from the rear. Similarly, Christopher Bell collided with Carson Hocevar on lap 152, and then again a few laps later, which damaged the No. 20 Toyota’s right side. Bell could never recover from that setback – not even in Gateway. While Hamlin made up for his Darlington woes with a win in Gateway, Bell found himself running 7th – hardly ideal for the top championship prospect.

Hence, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver lashed out at his team for taking things lightly. Christopher Bell started the Enjoy Illinois 300 race in 8th place and ran in the top ten all day. He briefly cracked the top five in Stage 2, but ultimately slipped back to 7th by the end. This finish improved his position in the standings from 11th to 10th, prompting crew chief Adam Stevens to say, “That’s what we needed today.” However, Bell snapped back in a fit of fury, “EVERY F—— WEEK it’s the same s—! We’re the last car to pit road! I’M OVER IT!”

This reaction made sense, as Christopher Bell had expressed how important Gateway is for him. Besides his good history of top ten finishes, a Craftsman Truck Series victory at the track was close to his heart. Bell said before the race, “It (Gateway) definitely feels like a home track. I’ve just spent so much time in St. Louis racing around the dirt tracks in the area that it definitely feels like you’re racing at home. I go back to that 2016 NASCAR Truck Series race where I got my first asphalt win in the sport. That was really special. My dad and mom were, and my family was able to be there for that one.”

Evidently, the poor finish in Gateway hurt Christopher Bell harder than his team expected. Hopefully, the JGR driver can move on to the next challenge and look for redemption there. Stay tuned for more updates!