Who Is Christopher Bell’s Crew Chief, Adam Stevens? All About the Strategist Guiding the Joe Gibbs Racing Star

Ever since Christopher Bell joined Joe Gibbs Racing in 2021, he’s had crew chief Adam Stevens as a constant presence atop the pit box. He’s helped the Oklahoman racing driver feel at home in the No. 20 Toyota team and develop into a driver that’s a real force to be reckoned with in the Cup Series. From winning the championship with Kyle Busch in 2015 and 2019 to guiding Bell to Victory Lane at the 2024 Coca-Cola 600, Stevens has been through it all at NASCAR’s highest level. But the best could be yet to come for the Ohio-native, especially with Bell challenging for the title this year.

But while Bell continues his title journey, it’s worth looking back at the man behind the pit box and the path that shaped him into one of NASCAR’s most respected crew chiefs.

Who is Adam Stevens? His early life and background

Born on July 22, 1978, in Portsmouth, Ohio, Adam Gregory Stevens developed a passion for racing at an early age. Perhaps the love for speed came from his father, Greg Stevens, who competed in dune buggies and dirt late models back in the day. The father-son duo would spend hours tinkering in race shops together, and that exposure helped him build a career in the fast lane. Stevens competed at the local Ohio dirt tracks like Skyline Speedway during high school and college, and even competed in the prestigious Dirt Late Model Dream at Eldora Speedway in 1999.

A few years later, Stevens graduated from Ohio University with a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering, and even though his dream of becoming a racer wasn’t fulfilled, he decided to pursue a career in NASCAR. To fulfil his ambition, he headed to Charlotte, North Carolina, during the summer break, and like any hungry youngster, he knocked on doors and handed out resumes with the hope of landing a job as a NASCAR engineer with a team after graduation. And his efforts paid off.

How did Adam Stevens climb the ranks of NASCAR?

Fresh out of college in the spring of 2002, Stevens managed to land a job at Petty Enterprises as a designer, where he worked for three years and learned the ropes. But in 2005, Joe Gibbs Racing was expanding its Xfinity (then Nationwide) teams, and he jumped at the opportunity. Sure enough, he landed a job as a race engineer with the No. 20 car driven by Tony Stewart under crew chief Greg Zipadelli. That’s when he got his first real taste of success, as Stevens saw his team win five times and a Sprint Cup championship in 2005.

When Stewart left the team in 2008, Adam Stevens was given the opportunity to work with rookie driver Joey Logano as his team engineer. However, his first big break came in 2011, when Stevens was promoted to crew chief for the No. 20 Xfinity entry, for which Logano was the primary driver, but others, such as Denny Hamlin, Michael McDowell, also took turns in the vehicle. Even though the Ohio-native got off to a slow start with just one win that year, he improved significantly in 2012 and got 12 wins.

Ultimately, Stevens had built such a good reputation that by 2015, he was paired with Kyle Busch in the Cup Series. That year, he guided ‘Rowdy’ to the championship, becoming the first crew chief since Jeff Hammond in 1982 to win the title in his rookie season. The two worked together well, and they went on to win the regular season championship in 2018, before lifting the Bill France Cup once again at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2019. Afterwards, Adam Stevens was moved to the No. 20 Cup Series car when Christopher Bell joined Joe Gibbs Racing in 2021.

What challenges and controversies did Adam Stevens face as a crew chief?

Adam Stevens has experienced his fair share of challenges in NASCAR. Back in 2016, he was fined $20,000 and suspended for one race for a lug nut violation. Similar problems continued the following year, with Stevens and key pit crew members being suspended for four races after a wheel came off the No. 18 Toyota during the race. More recently, the No. 20 team was suspended in 2021 for air deflector issues during inspection at Watkins Glen, with Chris Sherwood temporarily replacing Stevens.

That year, the crew chief was also fined $20,000 and suspended from the subsequent race at Martinsville Speedway after the post-race inspection discovered unsafe lug nuts. Last year, the Ohio-native faced a significant setback after injuring both knees in a diving-board accident while on vacation, forcing him to be sidelined for several weeks. While he wasn’t atop the pit box, Stevens was involved behind the scenes at Joe Gibbs Racing’s headquarters.

How has Adam Stevens’ partnership with Christopher Bell defined his career?

Adam Stevens and Christopher Bell partnered up in 2021, and it has been one of the defining moments in the crew chief’s career so far. The driver-crew chief combination didn’t dominate right from the get-go, with Bell winning just one race at the Daytona Road Course and ending the season 12th in the standings. However, the No. 20 team has made significant strides since then, reaching the Championship 4 the next two seasons and finishing third and fourth, respectively, while he finished the 2024 campaign in fifth place.

Earlier this year in Las Vegas, Christopher Bell realized that his Toyota had a loose wheel just after he left the pit box, but some quick thinking by Stevens salvaged the situation. The crew chief instructed Bell to pit in Chase Briscoe’s box instead, so that the No. 19 crew could fix the issue. The incident highlighted just how well Adam Stevens and Bell work together and showcased that their relationship is based on mutual trust and respect.

What does the future look like for Adam Stevens?

Having guided Kyle Busch to two championships and making Bell into a consistent title contender, it’s fair to say that Adam Stevens has already built a reputation as one of the best crew chiefs in the Cup Series. With years of experience, he’s also mentoring the next generation of engineers, with Ty Gibbs’ crew chief, Tyler Allen, moving up through the ranks under his guidance.

Looking forward, Stevens is expected to remain with the No. 20 crew and guide Christopher Bell to his first title. While an eventual transition into management is within the realm of possibility, his current influence at Joe Gibbs Racing already goes beyond the pit box. That’s what makes him such a valuable asset to one of NASCAR’s top teams in the Cup Series.