![\"AUTO:](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/dd0376f9-2410-4972-97d3-f67c62e87273.jpeg\" "\\"AUTO:")
Icon Sportswire\/\/Getty Images<\/p>\nChristopher Bell was brimming with confidence during Chase Media Day as he predicted victories would be needed to win this year\u2019s championship and a Toyota driver would claim the 2026 title.<\/p>\n
In the Chase\u2019s opening race at Darlington, Bell put an exclamation point on his optimism, winning the Cook Out Southern 500 by 1.038 seconds over Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Ty Gibbs. Bell\u2019s first victory this year after an agonizing seven runner-up finishes in the first 26 races allowed him to jump from sixth to second in the standings, just 12 points behind leader Denny Hamlin, who had to settle for an 18th-place finish.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is no other track that\u2019s harder to drive that rewards a talented driver more than Darlington and the Southern 500,\u201d said a jubilant Bell, who led four times for 46 laps. \u201cThis is the epitome of NASCAR. It\u2019s better than a dream come true.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Southern 500 has always been my golden ticket. The Daytona 500 is a huge race, but it\u2019s not a driver\u2019s track. There\u2019s a lot of things that go into that outside of your control. The Southern 500 is the ultimate driver\u2019s race. This race track is so hard, and the 500 miles here is just\u2026 it is the ultimate test of mental toughness and just keeping yourself in it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Icon Sportswire\/\/Getty Images<\/p>\n
Christopher Bell racing hard against Chase Briscoe (#19).<\/p>\n
Shortly after winning the second Stage, Bell thought he had lost his shot at his 14th-career victory due to a miscue on pit road. The front tire changer didn\u2019t get a clean roll of the tire he had just removed from the car to the pit wall and Bell restarted the final Stage in 12th. He said he then went into damage control, focusing on getting back into the top 10 and then the top five.<\/p>\n
During the final caution period that began on lap 336 of the 367-lap race, all but four drivers\u2014Kyle Larson, Austin Cindric, Ryan Preece, and Joey Logano\u2014pitted for four fresh tires. Bell knew if that was the race\u2019s last restart, it would come down to who was going to be the first car on four tires to make it to the front.<\/p>\n
\u201cTy (Gibbs) did a really good job following me through, and he almost got beside me down the front straightaway whenever I got blocked by Kyle (Larson),\u201d Bell recounted. \u201cIt was important for me to stay in front of Ty. Then, once I got the lead, I knew I was in the driver\u2019s seat.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt felt damn good to be able to lead the race in the closing laps. All of those second-place finishes, whenever I\u2019m in second chasing the leader, I never won. Whenever I got the lead, I\u2019m like, this is my race. I\u2019m going to win this thing finally.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leading into the Chase the motorsports community admitted the Toyotas would be tough to defeat for the title. Even Joe Gibbs Racing co-owner Heather Gibbs admitted if they don\u2019t win the 2026 championship it will be a missed opportunity. Currently, JGR drivers are first, second, fifth, and sixth in the standings. The other Toyota driver in the top six in the standings is 23XI Racing\u2019s Tyler Reddick.<\/p>\n
The only non-Toyota driver in the top six in the standings is Team Penske\u2019s Ryan Blaney in third, 16 points behind Hamlin.<\/p>\n
Bell described the Toyota NASCAR Cup cars as \u201cabsolutely incredible.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAll of us are still in contention for the title,\u201d Bell said about JGR. \u201cI believe it will be one of us four or, you know, one of the 23XI cars. We just have a great product right now, and TRD, Toyota has given us that platform, and our teams have hit it.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Lettermark\"](\"https:\/\/www.autoweek.com\/_assets\/design-tokens\/autoweek\/static\/images\/logos\/lettermark.de67f45.svg?primary=%2523000\")
<\/p>\n