Christopher Bell’s confidence was on full display during Chase Media Day, where he predicted that victories would be necessary to win the championship and a Toyota driver would claim the 2026 title. His optimism was put to the test in the Chase’s opening race at Darlington, where he won the Cook Out Southern 500 by 1.038 seconds over teammate Ty Gibbs.
Bell’s first victory of the year, after seven runner-up finishes in the first 26 races, allowed him to jump from sixth to second in the standings, just 12 points behind leader Denny Hamlin. Hamlin had to settle for an 18th-place finish, which opened the door for Bell to make a move.
Victory at Darlington
“There is no other track that’s harder to drive that rewards a talented driver more than Darlington and the Southern 500,” said a jubilant Bell, who led four times for 46 laps. “This is the epitome of NASCAR. It’s better than a dream come true.”
The Southern 500 has always been Bell’s most prized event. He believes that the Daytona 500 is a huge race, but it’s not a driver’s track, with many factors outside of a driver’s control. In contrast, the Southern 500 is the ultimate driver’s race, with a difficult track that tests mental toughness.
After winning the second Stage, Bell thought he had lost his shot at his 14th-career victory due to a miscue on pit road. However, he was able to recover and focus on getting back into the top 10 and then the top five.
Strategy and Skill
During the final caution period, all but four drivers pitted for four fresh tires. Bell knew that if that was the race’s last restart, it would come down to who was going to be the first car on four tires to make it to the front. He credited his teammate Ty Gibbs with doing a good job following him through and almost getting beside him down the front straightaway.
Bell’s ability to stay in front of Gibbs and then take the lead was essential to his success. “It felt damn good to be able to lead the race in the closing laps,” he said. “All of those second-place finishes, whenever I’m in second chasing the leader, I never won. Whenever I got the lead, I’m like, this is my race. I’m going to win this thing finally.”
Leading into the Chase, the motorsports community acknowledged that the Toyotas would be tough to defeat for the title. Joe Gibbs Racing co-owner Heather Gibbs admitted that if they don’t win the 2026 championship, it will be a missed opportunity.
Toyota’s Dominance
Currently, JGR drivers are first, second, fifth, and sixth in the standings. The other Toyota driver in the top six in the standings is 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick. The only non-Toyota driver in the top six is Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney in third, 16 points behind Hamlin.
Bell described the Toyota NASCAR Cup cars as “absolutely incredible.” He believes that it will be one of the JGR drivers or one of the 23XI cars that will win the title, given the great product they have and the platform provided by TRD and Toyota.
Christopher Bell won the Cook Out Southern 500.
The season is ongoing.
