The results didn’t match the level of Christopher Bell’s performance Sunday at World Wide Technology Raceway.
According to NASCAR Insights, Bell ranked as the best passer of the Enjoy Illinois 300, had the second-best speed and posted the third-best average running position in the second race of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. Despite that, Bell took the checkered flag in seventh place.
MORE: Gateway results | Playoff pulse
Simply put, that wasn’t good enough for Bell.
“We just [expletive] ran seventh with the best car on the track!” Bell radioed after the checkered flag. “Every [expletive] week, it’s the same [expletive]. We’re the last car to pit road. I’m over it!”
A verbal explosion reminiscent of the pre-race pyrotechnics might seem like an overreaction, but a heat-of-the-moment outburst was warranted after a series of finishes that have seen the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota lagging behind its teammates on the results sheet. Bell’s most recent top-five finish on an oval came a second-place effort at Kansas Speedway on May 11. He did win the exhibition NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway and has three top fives since then, but each of those three came at road courses: second-place showing at Mexico City and Watkins Glen in addition to a fifth-place finish at Sonoma.
Sitting eighth in the playoff standings and 32 points about the provisional cutline, Bell sees his team’s capabilities and knows they have the equipment to perform. But after watching teammates Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe finish first and second at Gateway — one week after Briscoe won the Aug. 31 playoff opener at Darlington Raceway — Bell is left yearning for more.
“I just think we are underperforming,” Bell told NBC Sports. “Clearly, the JGR Camrys are amazing. I don‘t know. Our team cars are really good, and I felt like I had what I needed to race with them, and we finished seventh and they finished one-two. I honestly think the cars are as fast as I‘ve had in my Cup career, and we are just not getting results out of it. That is a bummer.
“But on a lighter note, we had a good points day and were able to increase our buffer to the cutline, which is really good. I think from that standpoint, mission accomplished. We had a great DeWalt Camry. Just didn‘t get the finish that we probably could‘ve and should‘ve.”
Bell and the Cup Series next head to Bristol Motor Speedway for the Round of 16 elimination race on Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET, USA Network, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App). Bell has scored five straight top 10s at the “Last Great Colosseum.”
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