As the NASCAR Cup Series pushes through 2025, Christopher Bell’s campaign has shown flashes of dominance right out of the gate. The JGR driver notched three consecutive victories early on, taking the checkered flag at Atlanta Motor Speedway on February 23, the Circuit of the Americas on March 2, and Phoenix Raceway on March 9, marking him as the first driver in the Next Gen era to pull off that streak. But the results have varied since.

Positions like 17th at Iowa Speedway and 18th at Dover Motor Speedway highlight the hurdles in maintaining steady runs. And, while that’s a concern for Coach Gibbs and team, Kevin Harvick has drawn in deep insights from his own title-winning days, and navigates these ups and downs for Bell.

Kevin Harvick, on his Happy Hour podcast, flagged consistency as the make-or-break for Christopher Bell, stressing that speed isn’t enough in a field where tiny margins decide races.

“It doesn’t surprise me. I think they have the speed to be able to go out and do that on any style of a racetrack, but it’s exactly what I’m talking about with the managing of the season. How do you manage the season? Because if you can’t do it every week, you can’t win the championship, most likely,” Harvick noted, pointing at JGR strategies. And, he has a point, as it all ties straight to the Next Gen car’s design since 2022, where uniform parts demand crews nail every setup detail weekly.

Take Joey Logano‘s 2024 path: with just four wins, his Penske team’s focus on qualifying tweaks carried him past eliminations to the win at Phoenix on November 10. Bell’s Joe Gibbs Racing outfit deals with the same grind, where one weak setup can drop them behind in points.

And, even Kevin Harvick built on that by pointing to recent champs, noting, “You look back at Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, and all the guys who have won the past few championships, especially with this car. It’s all about details. It’s all about trying to stack those details up as much as you can. And if you don’t do it every week, you wind up a couple of stacks short, a couple of blocks short of what you need when it really rolls around time.” He added, “The closer everything is… it takes way more work to find an advantage. Way more.”

These words echo the tighter racing post-Next Gen, with 19 different winners in 2023 alone showing how parity amps up the workload. A fitting story comes from Hendrick’s 2021 season with Kyle Larson, who stacked ten wins through data tweaks on sims, hitting 10 top-fives in the first 15 races. Drivers like Larson, with three 2025 wins already, or Denny Hamlin, holding four victories this year, edge out Bell thanks to fewer DNFs and more top-10s. But that was not the scenario back in March; the No. 20 was rather confident.

“With us having multiple wins and knowing that we’re in the playoffs, if there’s a little bit more risky of a move, yeah, it certainly opens up the strategy book,” C. Bell said as he flexed, “You don’t really know how it’s going to play out until you get into the race, but certainly, the positions where it’s a little bit more high-risk where you normally wouldn’t take that risk if you’re focused on the regular-season points, well, now we can.”

The confidence is there. And, let’s not forget Bell’s Watkins Glen runner-up, where he battled to a last-lap pass, might spark the momentum needed to steady his season.

Who is outpacing Christopher Bell?

William Byron, the current points leader in the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series, holds a strong edge over Christopher Bell with 812 points, two wins, and nine top-5 finishes. His consistent performance showcases his reliability and skill. Elliott’s playoff berth is secured, and his experience on diverse tracks positions him as a formidable championship contender, surpassing Bell’s current standing.

Denny Hamlin, with four wins and 731 points, outshines Bell in the race for the title. His victories, including Martinsville, highlight his prowess on short tracks, and his 11 top-5 finishes reflect his ability to stay up front. Hamlin’s veteran instincts and Joe Gibbs Racing’s strategic support give him a clear advantage, making him a stronger bet to clinch the Cup over Bell.

Chase Elliot, with 1 win and 770 points, is another driver with better odds than Bell. His victory at Atlanta and 12 top-10 finishes demonstrate his versatility across track types. Elliott’s raw speed and Hendrick Motorsports’ resources make him a standout, poised to outpace Bell in the playoff push.