Christopher Bell finally found hope for a struggling Joe Gibbs Racing team after he managed to finish runner-up at the prestigious and rain-shortened Coca-Cola 600. Though this in itself is momentous, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver seemed frustrated as he couldn’t manage to eke out a win despite coming so close to it.

“Um, just, I don't know, it's 2026, man. Nothing's gone right for us so far,” Bell admitted.

Bell's 2026 doesn't look like his 2025 at all. Last year, Bell had a much better run with consistent top-10 finishes, including his series of consecutive wins at Atlanta, COTA and Phoenix.

But this year, he has just finished four times in the top-10 out of the 12 races. Martinsville was the last good run he had, as the last six races have seen results of P17 or below. Which is why a runner-up finish on Sunday was a much-needed relief for him and JGR.

“I am happy that we got away with a great race. Second-place finish, a lot of points. It was really good, but obviously, could have had more today.”

For Bell, the consequential moments of the race were the late restarts and deteriorating conditions. “I think they ultimately made the right call calling the race, and they did a great job. They did everything right to defend the position and win the race,” Bell explained.

Speaking about battling race-winner Daniel Suarez, he said, “I knew that it was gonna come down to keeping him pinned on the restart, not letting him clear me for the lead, and he cleared me for the lead.”

Despite the disappointment at Charlotte, which many would feel isn’t one, Bell saw some positives. “We keep showing car potential. We keep showing how fast we are. And certainly today we got a result that shows that.”

However, this frustration largely seems to be arising out of JGR’s non-performance in 2026. But how bad is it? Let’s take a look.

JGR’s 2026 decline backed by numbers

Joe Gibbs Racing’s 2026 debacle is now extremely visible if we take a look at the numbers. The first 12 Cup races have witnessed JGR take in only two wins. Compare that to 2025, where the team had managed 13 total victories, a gap they are on track not to repeat this year.

Bell himself sits right outside the top 10 with an average finish of 17.8, despite leading over 325 laps this season. Chase Briscoe also has managed just two top-10 finishes, while Ty Gibbs also seemed to be struggling entering Bristol with an average finish below 20th, after which he managed a breakthrough win.

The only consistency on the team is Denny Hamlin.

Despite such struggles, there seems to be hope arising in the form of Christopher Bell. If such form continues, then maybe, just maybe, JGR shall have two drivers to pin their hopes on.

Read more at the RFK Racing Digest!

Written by

Uday Jakhar

Edited by

Suyashdeep Sason