WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — Adam Stevens was enjoying a warm summer night in Ohio at his sister’s house during the two-week Olympic break, jumping into the pool, playing with his niece and nephews. Then, it all went wrong.
Jumping off the diving board for what Stevens believes to be the seventh or eighth time, both of his patella tendons ruptured. The next day, the championship-winning crew chief returned to North Carolina to get an MRI and on Thursday morning went into surgery.
With the NASCAR season getting back underway at Richmond Raceway on Aug. 11, he knew he was going to have to adjust the way he worked on Christopher Bell’s No. 20 Toyota. Car chief Chris Sherwood was named the interim crew chief while Stevens set up shop at Joe Gibbs Racing’s headquarters in Huntersville, North Carolina.
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“It’s the exact same role, you’re just not at the track,” Stevens told NASCAR.com on Sunday morning at Watkins Glen International, site of the Round of 16 playoff race (3 p.m. ET, USA.) “You don’t have hands on, eyes on everything, so you’re relying on your people that much more. As far as the functions and the responsibilities, it didn’t change.”
The only thing that changed during the weekends were the debriefs. Instead of gathering in a group in the team hauler, Stevens would chime in via Zoom or by phone.
“I didn’t really notice much difference,” Bell stated. “Other than [Stevens] being there and having his presence around the team, it was important. As far as on-track performance, I don’t think it made much of a difference.”
During the four-week stretch to end the regular season, Bell had three top-10 finishes. The lone exception was getting involved in a multi-car wreck at Michigan International Speedway when Kyle Larson spun near the front of the field.
Stevens returned to the track for the first time at Atlanta Motor Speedway for only race day. He was hobbling around with big leg braces, measuring from kneecap to shin, locking his legs straight out. He said he was having to “walk like Frankenstein.”
The logistics of getting on and off the plane, in addition to on and off the pit box were planned out. But he had enough room to weasel his way in and be somewhat comfortable.
This weekend at Watkins Glen International marks Stevens’ first full race weekend back at the track. He’s able to walk around much easier now, having a smaller brace. He was happy being back at the track.
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“I think I’m far enough along now — six weeks post-surgery, which is the mark that they will start letting you bend your knees,” he said. “It’s hard to get around when you can’t bend your knees.”
The No. 20 Toyota will take the green flag from 17th position in today’s second race in the Round of 16. Bell enters the 90-lap event third on the playoff grid, with a 40-point buffer over Brad Keselowski, who is the first driver on the outside looking in.
“We weren’t as good as we wanted to be in practice, but we made it a little bit better,” Stevens said. “We didn’t qualify well, but the race is going to be a different animal. We didn’t qualify that great last year, either and finished third.
“You’ve got to keep the perspective of what we’re trying to do here. We’re trying to advance to the next round. We need to have a solid day, limit our mistakes and capitalize on other people’s mistakes and go home happy.”
In three starts at Watkins Glen, Bell has never finished worse than eighth.