It was Toyota that finally ended Chevrolet’s early dominance in the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series. Christopher Bell took home the Shriners Children’s 500 trophy home for Joe Gibbs Racing at the Phoenix Raceway, his 7th career Cup race victory. The driver clawed his way to a victory after qualifying P13 for the Sunday race fending off P2 Chris Buescher and teammate Ty Gibbs in a race that saw Toyota drivers lead 93% of all laps. But the much-needed win can’t just be credited to the #20 driver alone, as his team seemed to have done a lot of homework to dissect exactly what would work for them, as revealed by the driver’s crew chief Adam Stevens.

Practice makes a man perfect

While obvious signs point to Bell benefitting the most from the December short-track package testing, he wasn’t the only one who gained valuable insights. Joining him were fellow NASCAR Cup Series drivers – P5 finisher Ryan Blaney and surprise runner-up, Buescher, both accompanying Bell in the top-5 at Phoenix. This is further evidence of the effectiveness of the pre-season testing and how it translated into strong finishes for them at Phoenix I.

However, it was crew chief Adam Stevens, a team member at Joe Gibbs Racing with over a decade of experience, who spearheaded the #20 team’s victory in a highly collaborative effort. Stevens himself touched upon the immense value gleaned from the December testing session, stating, “It was… less than a month, I guess, or about a month after Phoenix (fall race) so it was very fresh and we got to start with the 2023 package so we got to take all of our notes and said, ‘Man if we would have done this, this, and this we would be that much better.’ So obviously we unloaded like we thought would have raced the best and it was really good.”

“That was the best data point for us then we spent a really long time changing a bunch of aero stuff that didn’t add any value to us, but then we did get to spend some time on the tire that we raced here today… so just that little bit of leg up on everyone that didn’t get to participate is a big deal,” Stevens concluded on the #20 team’s two-pronged approach.

Despite the off-season advantage, Bell’s win wasn’t without its share of repackaging drama, especially due to the new 18″ tires provided by Goodyear.

Goodyear tires still a debate heading to Bristol

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A late-race caution triggered by teammate and pole-winner Denny Hamlin forced Bell down pit lane for a fresh set of tires. Unfortunately, a slow pit stop due to tire issues saw him plummet from the lead position, back to the middle of the pack.

NASCAR’s Goodyear Experiment at Phoenix Seems to Bust as Practice Results Disappoint

Nevertheless, Bell, showcasing both his composure and talent, maneuvered his way back up front, through the field. “The wheel didn’t make it over the drop links and kinda got stuck,” he explained, adding, “So I had to stay on the lug nut, just to ensure and watch that the back of the wheel made it to the back plate.”

This unexpected pit stop delay forced Bell to play catch-up, but Stevens remained confident in his driver’s abilities. “We restarted 20th. I was not too worried that we would get stuck. I was worried that we would go a short period and then catch the next caution. If we only went 15 or 20 or 25 and had to follow 15 cars down pit road… And you don’t have that tire advantage to anybody in front of you anymore. It’s going to be a lot harder to come through the field at that point,” Stevens said while explaining the alternative situations that could have plagued Bell’s run at glory.

It will be interesting to see what takes place next week on the repaved Bristol Motor Speedway as the 2024 season moves to Tennessee on March 17th, offering one more chance for the new “package” to shine on another innovative experiment. The Food City 500 is ready to rumble.

2024 Shriners Children’s 500: Christopher Bell Capitalizes on Teammate Denny Hamlin’s Phoenix Misery Amidst Triumphant Victory Lane Return