Christopher Bell warns of high stakes for Toyota in Talladega Playoff race

MADISON, ILLINOIS - JUNE 01: Christopher Bell, driver of the #20 DEWALT Toyota, looks on during practice for the NASCAR Cup Series Enjoy Illinois 300 at WWT Raceway on June 01, 2024 in Madison, Illinois. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
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Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell said his Toyota teammate Tyler Reddick raised a good point during a discussion on their flight to Talladega. With so few Toyotas in Sunday’s field – compared to the double digit entries for rival Chevrolet and Ford, there is more importance on working together.

“I think it all just boils down to having friends at the end of the race and executing the pit cycle,” said Bell, driver of the No. 20 JGR Toyota. “Tyler and I were talking on the plane about strategies through the pit cycle and one thing he pointed out and I hadn’t even thought about was we just have to be so diligent on our protocol and our system we have in place because we don’t have the numbers.

“Where if a couple Fords or a couple Chevrolets mess up on the pit cycle they can get away with it because they have almost twice as many cars as we do. Only having eight in the field, if you lose one or two it hurts. It you lose three or more, it’s basically a strategy killer. You just have to be really mindful and very diligent. I think if you make mistakes and lose numbers it affects us more greatly than other manufacturers.’’

Bell will have his work cut out for him; he starts 21st Sunday.

Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service
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