Earlier fighting for a spot in the playoffs, drivers have now turned their focus on the regular-season championship title. While the top spots on the Cup Series leaderboards have remained stagnant for quite some time, the upcoming Crayon 301 race may witness a shuffle. Lagging behind after back-to-back disappointing weekends at Chicago and Atlanta, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell is looking forward to breaking free from his slump after grabbing the Crayon 301 pole. 

Now at war with his teammate, the JGR #20 driver has sent a warning to Kyle Busch.

Kyle Busch receives a warning from JGR camp

Placing 2nd during the 2021 Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 race, Christopher Bell was crowned the race winner at last season’s Cup Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Eyeing another podium finish this season, Bell won the pole position during the Crayon 301’s qualifying stage. Starting at the front of the grid, the JGR #20 driver will be joined by teammate, #19 Martin Truex Jr, who qualified in the second position.

Having gained multiple spots on the leadership standings, Bell now sits at the fourth spot, only 37 points behind points leader William Byron.

Bell is also only 16 points behind Martin Truex Jr. This has now intensified the regular-season championship battle even more. Sitting smack in between the JGR teammates at the 3rd spot on the leaderboards, Kyle Busch has now received a warning from the Joe Gibbs Racing camp.

As per thepodiumfinish.net, During the pre-race presser in New Hampshire, Christopher Bell warned Rowdy and every driver above him on the table, saying, “There are a lot of guys in the hunt. I have one of the best racecars that I’ve had all year this weekend, we need to capitalize on that. The 20 group needs to capitalize on that and capture as many points as we can. This is a pivotal race for the regular season championship.”

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As iterated by Christopher Bell, the Crayon 301 may very well be pivotal. While the JGR #20 driver has seen a lot of success in New Hampshire, Kyle Busch has been struggling.

What struggle does Kyle Busch face at New Hampshire?

Cementing himself as a playoff contender, Christopher Bell sits only 1 point behind Kyle Busch on the regular season championship standings. With Bell starting from the front of the grid, this difference may very well be mitigated during the Crayon 301 Cup race. It’s also worth mentioning that while the #20 JGR driver feels right at home in New Hampshire, Busch has been struggling to perform with the Next-Gen car’s short-track package. 

Pinpointing his struggle at the New Hampshire track in the pre-race presser, Kyle Busch said, “This is a weekend where we come here, not planning on, but knowing that this has been our struggle. And so, it’s just the shorter spoiler, the less strakes on the diffuser. The less downforce has kind of just been our Achilles’ heel this year so far, so we’d love to come out of here and just have a solid run – learn and get better.”

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Who do you think will ace the Crayon 301? Let us know in the comments.