Comparing the statistics from the three OEMs over the past two seasons, it is quite clear that Toyota is setting forth new definitions of domination. They won 14 races in the 2025 season and seven races from the first 10 races in the current season. They would have won the 2025 championship with Denny Hamlin if not for the overtime caution. So how is Toyota doing this? Well, Christopher Bell seems to have an answer for the same.
Bell might not have won a race this season, but he has consistently raced at the front of the pack nearly every weekend. His results speak for themselves, with three top-five finishes in the first 10 races despite crash setbacks. Meanwhile, his teammates and counterparts across other Toyota teams have been setting impressive records.
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“Yeah, I mean, today it’s going to be long-run speed. It seems like our cars have a lot of grip in them. We have had the same body now for a couple of years, so we have the same rules package. We are able to really hone in on what our balance needs to be in the long run. So I think the hotter it gets, the slicker it gets, and the more that we are going to shine,” Bell said in conversation with Kevin Harvick.
The best example of their long-run speed was proven at COTA. During the race, Tyler Reddick was easily able to defend his lead against Shane van Gisbergen, no matter how many times the Kiwi put pressure on him. Additionally, it is regularly seen that the Toyotas eventually end up racing towards the front by the end of the race. It is the reason behind the last-minute victories that Reddick has had this year.
The only problem that the invincible Toyotas seem to have this year is short-run performance. Bell himself accepts their shortcomings in the matter:
“If it comes to short runs or green flags or restarts, I don’t know if we are going to have the upper hand. But whenever it comes to grip making, it seems like the Toyotas got a lot of grip.”
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Joey Logano had a perfect explanation for the aforementioned advantage just a week ago at Talladega. According to him, when two Cup cars end up coming together, they react like basketballs being pushed against each other. In this case, the rear end of the car is already under a lot of load. While the car is pushing at its absolute limit on straightaways, the rear is already unstable from aerodynamic disturbances.
So, the more grip a car has, the better it can perform compared to the competitors. That is why Bell trusts the Toyotas in the long run. At that moment when everyone else’s tires are losing grip and forcing drivers to pit in order to keep their car in one piece, the Toyota drivers can extract a little more performance and lap time out of their cars.
With their Cup program allowing them to share their data and refine their cars further, the Toyotas are easily miles ahead of their competitors. While Christopher Bell was confident about his car, things did not turn out his way in today’s race at Texas Motor Speedway.
Christopher Bell gets wrecked yet again
This season, the 31-year-old seems to hold the record for having the worst luck among all Cup Series drivers. Out of the 10 races he has participated in, in more than half of them, he was leading or somewhere near the front row. But through no fault of his own, Bell was wrecked out after being collected by another driver, ending his race and his chances at victory.
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It started at Daytona and continued at Atlanta, and in a similar manner, it happened again at Texas Motor Speedway. The No. 20 driver was leading the race today during the final laps of Stage 1, but in a moment, his dreams went into dust. Todd Gilliland spun out behind and came down, collecting him in the wreck. Bell did try to move away by racing towards the bottom line, but that was seemingly not enough.
A distraught Bell had nothing to say during his post-race interview with Jamie Little except to appreciate his team.
“I mean, it’s a bummer, but I’m just so thankful. I’m thankful that I get to drive really fast racecars. Thankful that I got to lead laps today. Thankful that I get to carry the green colors and drive for Joe Gibbs Racing. Yeah, I was a couple feet, a couple feet away from having a great day. But yeah, it’s going to turn around at some point,” Bell said.
Gilliland was apologetic to Bell about the crash, but that didn’t change the outcome of today’s race. His pace looked strong right from the start, and Bell might have won his first race of the season. However, it seems he’ll have to wait a bit longer before he can finally reach Victory Lane.
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