Christopher Bell zeroes in on Las Vegas in search of Championship 4 return

In each of the last two years, Christopher Bell has finished second in the Round of 8 opener at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The frustration in 2023 left him gutted after Kyle Larson beat him by 0.082 seconds. The disappointment he felt in 2024 after Joey Logano and the No. 22 team utilized a clutch fuel strategy call to earn the win by 0.662 seconds was summed up on his radio: “You’ve got to be [expletive] kidding me!” MORE: Las Vegas schedule | Playoff standings The memories of those defeats have lingered in the minds of Bell and crew chief Adam Stevens for the last year -- particularly after missing the Championship 4 in 2024 in part due to his October loss in Sin City. “That Vegas race we've been looking at and studying for basically since Vegas one earlier this year (in March),” Bell said ahead of last week’s race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval. “Everyone knows how important that race is. It's everything. I mean, we've seen it time and time again. That's why the losses have been so heartbreaking. To come up close, to be so close to walking into that Championship 4 and not having it, everybody knows that Vegas is a super important race. Hopefully, we can dot our I’s, cross our T's here at Charlotte, and then have that opportunity ahead of us next week.” Indeed, it was mission accomplished for the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing team at Charlotte, where Bell took the checkered flag third and advanced to the Round of 8 for the fourth consecutive season. In two of the past three years, Bell has also qualified for the title race at Phoenix Raceway by locking into the Championship 4, a streak interrupted by last year’s ousting. But what makes Vegas so important when it’s the first in a three-race round? That comes down to preparation in a championship pursuit. A win at Vegas for a playoff contender buys the successful party some cushion and mental relief from the stress of trying to lock in at the predictably unpredictable Talladega Superspeedway, in addition to short-track madness that could unfold at Martinsville Speedway. Factor in an extra two weeks to focus preparations on the team’s car for Phoenix, and a Vegas win becomes priceless. Bell finished 12th in the spring race at Vegas earlier this season, but he and his team have renewed reason to enter the Nevada 1.5-miler with confidence. At the most recent 1.5-mile track, Kansas Speedway, Bell was fighting for the lead when the white flag waved before ultimately placing third after leading 43 laps. He described the team’s outlook as “very optimistic,” but a tinge of the anxiety that comes with this race’s results was also evident. “I think Vegas races different (than Kansas),” Bell said. “It takes different things from your cars, but the general car potential and speed should be relevant. So yeah, I'm excited and obviously nervous, Vegas is a huge opportunity, and it seems like we've got the pace in our Camrys to go out there and do it.” Stevens, Bell’s crew chief since the 2021 season, knows what it takes to win a championship, leading Kyle Busch to both of his titles in 2015 and 2019, respectively. He also knows how to get the most out of Bell. “We know we can go there and be competitive,” Stevens told NASCAR.com. “Our intermediate stuff has really turned the corner here these last few weeks, and we feel like we'll have the speed we need. And it's up to us to execute the weekend and maximize our day.” Sunday’s race (5:30 p.m. ET, USA Network, HBO Max, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App) may not make or break Bell’s season, a campaign marked by four wins, 12 top fives, 19 top 10s and a series-best 11.7 average finish. But those 400 miles could determine whether Bell has a chance to win a championship -- and that means everything.