Christopher Bell emerged as the victor for JGR and Toyota in 2024 with his win at the Phoenix race. The 43-year-old driver has consistently proven himself as the top contender at Joe Gibbs Racing. Despite his prime status, it is inevitable that Denny Hamlin, the driver of the No:11 Camry, will eventually retire due to his advancing age. However, JGR can rest assured that they have a capable replacement for Hamlin in Christopher Bell, as pointed out by Kevin Harvick, the retired SHR driver and 2014 NASCAR Cup Series champion. Harvick believes that the No:20 Camry driver possesses exceptional leadership qualities and is the most consistent driver in the Next-Gen era.
Kevin Harvick’s words convey his trust in Christopher Bell’s abilities and his belief that Bell can become the team’s lead driver in the future. Bell has consistently proven himself in the Next-Gen era, being the only Toyota driver to reach the Championship-4 since the introduction of the 7th gen car. He is also the only driver to make it to the final-4 in the last two seasons consecutively in the entire Cup garage.
In terms of personality, Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin are complete opposites. Bell is known for his calm and collected demeanor, letting his performance on the track do the talking. On the other hand, Hamlin is a loud and outspoken individual who expresses himself both on and off the track. During a podcast, Kevin Harvick also discussed the stark contrast in personalities between Bell and Hamlin, highlighting Bell’s unique character compared to the team’s lead driver.
Kevin Harvick emphasized Christopher Bell’s exceptional driving skills and how that should be the primary focus. He believes that Bell would be an ideal leader for JGR when it comes to media responsibilities, as he would not cause any PR issues like Hamlin often does. However, Harvick also mentioned that if Bell does not consistently perform at a high level, he may go unnoticed, which could be detrimental from a marketing perspective. Nevertheless, JGR should have no trouble finding a solution to this puzzle.