Christopher Bell and Carson Hocevar shared a worrying update on fuel saving ahead of next week's Talladega race.

The NASCAR Cup Series driver duo were of the opinion that fuel saving was going to play a significant part in the race after the recent adjustment of stage lengths to counter fuel-saving tactics.

"Well, it's not going to change fuel saving," Bell told Frontstretch. "Fuel saving is going to be the primary strategy… but the way the stages are broken up… I think the goal is to eliminate the green flag pit stop… it'll change how the race unfolds… but the strategy will remain the same of spending minimum time on pit road."

Hocevar shared similar concerns, as he does not expect drivers to push flat out for most of the race, as he believes the fuel-saving strategy will remain.

"I don't think it's going to change a thing honestly… there's still gonna be a lot of fuel saving… you're not ever going to see anybody run wide open… when they're short, you at least get some racing early… you might see a really small single-file pack after the first pit stop… so I think it's probably gonna be worse a little bit, but we'll see," Hocevar said.

Notably, NASCAR has adjusted the stage lengths for this year's Talladega race to counter fuel-saving tactics. Under the new format, Stage 1 will be 98 laps, followed by Stage 2 at Lap 143 (a 45-lap segment).

The last stage will have a 45-lap segment ending on Lap 188, completing the 500-mile race. The change follows fuel-saving tactics that heavily impacted this year's Daytona 500 and its viewing experience.

While the Talladega race is set to take place in a week's time, Christopher Bell needs to step up his performance and deliver.

Christopher Bell Struggles in 2026 NASCAR Cup Series

Christopher Bell won three back-to-back races last year at Atlanta, COTA, and Phoenix, a rare NASCAR milestone. Altogether, the #20 driver had earned four wins in 2025, but things changed drastically in the initial phase of 2026 for him.

After nine races, Bell is still winless and inconsistent, while teammates Denny Hamlin and Ty Gibbs (his first win) have taken victories, highlighting his loss of momentum.

Bell sits 10th in the standings with 261 points; three top fives and four top 10s keep him there, but he needs a win to secure the next round.

Read more at the RFK Racing Digest!

Written by

Sabyasachi Biswas

Edited by

Pulkit Prabhav