Seldom does it happen that a winner’s win is less celebrated and a runner-up’s effort is discussed more. Such was the scenario at the Las Vegas race, where even though Kyle Larson claimed the victory, the limelight was unexpectedly seized by a Joe Gibbs Racing driver who fell short by a mere 0.082 seconds.

During the post-race media discussions, the driver in question expressed his disappointment, admitting that he believed he had squandered his opportunity. However, there is a contrasting perspective from his own crew chief, as indicated in his recent exchange with pit reporters. It seems that the crew chief has not lost faith in his driver.

The crew chief for the #20 driver remains optimistic about their prospects

While Kyle Larson’s victory didn’t come as a shock to most, given his impressive track record with an average finish of 10.5 in 14 races, the story was quite different for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver in the #20 car. Previously, their performances had rarely breached the top 10, often settling for positions no better than 24th. That’s why the fifth-place finish in the spring race was seen as a significant achievement. Now, securing second place feels like a monumental triumph for both the driver and JGR.

However, Christopher Bell himself believes there is room for improvement. In his post-race interview, he expressed, “I feel like that was my moment; that was my moment to make the final four, and didn’t quite capture it.”

But according to his crew chief, Adam Stevens, who was the first crew chief since Jeff Hammond in 1982 to win the championship in his rookie season as the crew chief for Kyle Busch, the race is far from over for Bell. He explained, “Well, we only have what’s in front of us, right? We can’t go back and rerun this race, so our goal was to win, and we didn’t win. […] But we can win Homestead just as easy as we can win Martinsville, and if we don’t have any top-8 winners in the next two races, then we’ll have three cars in on points, and certainly, we can be one of those. So, it’s not over till it’s over. We saw that last year, and we got everything we need right in front of us to make it happen.”

In addition, Stevens shared his calculations, suggesting that there’s a scenario where Bell and the team could face a challenging situation that they might need to take care of.

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Christopher Bell’s crew chief envisions a potential challenge for the team under some circumstances

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The Round of 8 stands as one of the most intense phases of the playoffs, and it’s for good reason. Winning a race can propel any of the bottom four drivers into the coveted Championship 4. Conversely, if any of the drivers among the top eight contenders secure two wins, it can entirely reshape the playoff landscape for those lower in the standings.

Typically, the driver who clinches victory in the first race of the Round of 8 can approach the upcoming races with a certain level of composure, as we’ve seen with Kyle Larson this season. However, for drivers like Christopher Bell, the situation is a bit more intricate.

Christopher Bell Makes Painful 9-Word Admission After Falling 0.082 Seconds Short of Appeasing Joe Gibbs

Stevens expressed, “I don’t know how many cars are going to make it on points. It depends on how many winners we have, right? If we have two more winners out of the top eight and we are not one of them, then only one car is getting in on points. And that’ll be a tough spot for us to be in because we just don’t have as many bonus points.”