Short Track Racing Kept Christopher Bell Sharp During NASCAR Offseason

Christopher Bell scored his first NASCAR Cup Series win of 2025 on Sunday in the Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, but it was hardly his first win of the year.

Bell took the win in Sunday's race in the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Tundra, narrowly ahead of Carson Hocevar and Kyle Larson when the caution flag flew on the final lap. The victory was Bell's 10th in his NASCAR Cup Series career, and his first in the series at Atlanta.

After getting the green light from Joe Gibbs Racing to return to his short track racing roots, Bell stayed busy during the offseason. Already this year, Bell won a Golden Driller at the Tulsa Shootout, claimed the O'Reilly Auto Parts International Race of Champions during the Chili Bowl Nationals, and scored a World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series win at Volusia Speedway Park during Speedweeks.

Bell also climbed back into a pavement Super Late Model for the first time since 2017, finishing sixth in the ASA STARS National Tour Clyde Hart Memorial at New Smyrna Speedway.

All that on-track activity has kept Bell fresh behind the wheel, something he believes has been a huge asset to him to start the NASCAR season.

"I definitely feel the best I have as a race car driver," said Bell after Sunday's win. "I’m sure that some of it or part of it is due to the fact that I have been racing through the offseason.

"It’s a dream come true to be able to drive for Joe Gibbs Racing in these Cup Series cars, and I’m honored and privileged to be ail to have some fun outside of the Cup Series cars now. I hope that I can make this the best year ever and prove to the company that it’s the right thing for me to do to be out there racing."

Team owner Joe Gibbs also spoke at length following Sunday's win about allowing his drivers to compete in short track racing events this offseason.

"I think as much as anything, we have three of our guys are heavily involved in dirt stuff coming up," said Gibbs. "I felt like that the thing that I probably made the decision on, they’re really focused just on racing. They love it, and they talked about the offseason, being able to get a chance to race some dirt stuff would help fill their time and get them excited about things."

Bell's teammate, Ty Gibbs, made his Chili Bowl Nationals debut in 2025, part of an expanding dirt schedule.

"[Ty] had not really come up racing dirt, but he kind of got real excited about it here lately," added Joe Gibbs. "He was up at Millbridge doing some stuff and wanted to expand on that.

"Christopher obviously is always heavily involved with it. Chase [Briscoe] right now has a team, but has kind of backed off. That’s kind of where we are with all that."

Adam Stevens, Bell's NASCAR Cup Series crew chief, echoed the importance of those short track events keeping Bell on top of his game. He acknowledged the risk that goes along with competing in extra events, but believes in the value of track time that can't be replicated elsewhere.

"He’s a race car driver," said Stevens. "For him to stay sharp, he needs to drive a race car. Cutting simulator laps just really doesn’t do that. You wouldn’t ask a professional golfer to lock his clubs in the closet for three months over the winter and show up at the first tournament. I bet he wouldn’t play very well.

"But for him to compete and stay sharp, he has to be on a racetrack racing. There is some risk that comes with that, but it’s to our benefit. It’s not only to our risk."

The next stop for the NASCAR Cup Series is the Circuit of The Americas on Sunday, March 2 for the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix. Bell is a two-time winner on road courses in the Cup Series, and finished second in last year's event at the Austin, Texas circuit.

-Photo credit: Rusty Jarrett, LAT for Toyota Racing