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It’s safe to say that the first round of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs was weird.
Between the great racing, continuing parts problems, underdog winners and legitimate title threats getting eliminated, there’s more than enough storylines to follow these last seven races.
While the round was sloppy for those fighting in the playoffs, there were some bright spots. Alex Bowman rallied from a dismal second-half with strong runs at Darlington and especially Kansas. William Byron was steady as well, garnering three straight top-10s.
However, the most impressive first round performance has to be Christopher Bell. After a solid yet unremarkable regular season, Bell turned on the jets in a big way. He was consistent at Darlington, before having perhaps the best car at both Kansas and Bristol en route to third and fourth-place finishes respectively.
What made Bell’s performance so impressive was his ability to score stage points. With wins going to non-playoff drivers, the points fight became more crucial. Bell helped his chances by scoring a massive 38 points at the stage breaks across Kansas and Bristol, scoring two stage wins in the process.
Bell has had a lot of hype surrounding him for a while, especially since his 2017 Truck series crown. He torched the Xfinity series in two years before moving to Cup. He’s has taken clear steps along the way and it seems like he is going to be the next driver to break out into superstar status.
A great example of this growth came earlier this year. His year couldn’t have started off worse. A wreck at Daytona was followed by tire issues at Auto Club, spins at Las Vegas and Phoenix and a yellow-line penalty on the last lap at Atlanta. Coming to Circuit of the Americas, Bell needed a good run. A steering issue at the start of the last stage should’ve put a stop to those plans. That wasn’t the case, as Bell went on a tear, gaining 35 spots in 31 laps to finish third.
From that point on, Bell has had 16 top-10s and has led 379 laps. He’s gotten it done everywhere, scoring top-fives tracks like Dover, Kansas, Darlington, Bristol and, of course, his win at New Hampshire.
Part of what makes the future so promising is Toyota’s outlook. Kyle Busch is going to Richard Childress Racing, the saga is finally over. His teammates, Martin Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin, don’t have much longer. Add to it the doubt that surrounds Kurt Busch’s concussion and that leaves Toyota without a true top dog. Bell is looking to show that he can be that guy.
Ty Gibbs is going to be amazing and will likely be in the 18 next year, but he’s only 19 and has time to grow. Tyler Reddick looks like he’s stuck at RCR for another year until further notice. Bubba Wallace has a lot to prove still. Things look very promising for Bell.
Sometimes all it takes is one win or one moment to set off a big run. For Bell, it’s not a matter of if it happens, but when.
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