Kevin Harvick's Happy Hour presented by NASCAR on FOX - Christopher Bell Proved He's One of NASCAR's Toughest Drivers

Episode Date: June 21, 2026

Christopher Bell walked away from a terrifying 63-G impact at Michigan—the hardest recorded crash of NASCAR’s Next Gen era—with a fractured left wrist. Just days later, he was back in the simulator and cleared to race. We sat down with the Joe Gibbs Racing driver to find out exactly how he is driving a Cup car basically one-handed, what went through his mind during the wreck, and he plans to navigate the next two weeks at San Diego and Sonoma. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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free of charge. BetMGM operates pursuant to an operating agreement with Eye Gaming Ontario. Once you're on the track, It is in your hands to go out there and beat your competitors. And I love the thrill of competition. And I want to ask about your acting skills and whether or not you have an Oscar-worthy performance. Acting is not my day job. And I will not claim that one.

Welcome in to Kevin Harvick's happy hour presented by NASCAR on Fox. I'm Caitlin Vinci and so excited to have a special guest with us today. Driver of the number 20 for Joe Gibbs Racing. Christopher Bell is here ahead of a very unique and exciting weekend for the sports. and of course we'll talk plenty about San Diego, but before we do, I want to go back a few days to Pocono. Christopher, obviously you were racing with an injury, you toughed it out. I'm sure it was difficult. You managed.

Just tell me what that experience, though, was like for you in Pocono. Yeah, it was eye-opening, that's for sure. I think I probably got a little too optimistic on what to expect after Michigan. I was super happy that my head was okay after Michigan, and I was like, I'm going to be able to tough this out. My wrist fracture is not going to be a hindrance. I'm going to get in the car and be fine. And, yeah, it just, it didn't really work out that way.

You know, we fortunately had a really aggressive strategy to put us in position to, you know, potentially get a win or a really good finish out of it. And it didn't work out. We ran out of fuel late. But, yeah, it was something. that's for sure. You are one tough competitor. I got to hand it to you. You mentioned that alternate strategy with the fuel that Adam Stevens was kind of deploying there. What was kind of going through your mind in the race car? And what is that like when it's like, is this going to last?

Am I going to run out? What's going to happen here? Yeah. I mean, it was, I don't know that I've ever been in that position to be off sequence and off cycle like that. But whenever we came into top fuel off. I think it was, you know, kind of a last-ditch effort to try and get some track position. We, you know, we didn't have the pace of the front runners. And so we were mired back in the 20s all day. And Adam, you know, made a call to come in and top off and hopefully we could flip the track position if the yellow flag came out. And we were banking on a yellow coming out and being able to stay out and everyone else was going to have to pit and cycle us to the front. So we didn't really have making it to the end on our agenda, but just the way that the run played out,

I was able to find myself in a really good spot, able to catch a draft off of the competitors in front of me, and our pace was really, really good too. So our fuel mileage looked amazing for about the first 10 or 15 laps of that run whenever we got single filed out. And then it made my team and myself, I guess, optimistic that we're going to have a shot at making it. And then whenever everyone started peeling off to pit and I lost that draft, that's whenever our fuel number tanked. And yeah, it started dwindle. Our optimism started dwindling pretty quickly. It was a strong effort. Nonetheless, I do want to go back to Michigan for a moment. Now that you've had time to reflect, I'm sure you've watched it back. You've seen all the data and

everything. Just walk me through what that moment was like. And it was obviously one of the hardest hits we've seen in this sport. Yeah, it was, I don't know, that I have tried to not relive too much. You know, if I see a video on it, like it's on my screen right now, I won't look at it. But it was, yeah, just a racing incident. And I knew that it was going to be a big one whenever I saw. Well, actually, Chase was inside of me, and then I saw him wiggle, and I didn't, I thought I was just going to skirt around the outside of him.

And then whenever he came up, I think it kind of popped my nose in the air. And yeah, then it was just, you know, hold on for dear life. your life and probably held on too good and got my wrist in the wood. And I know Chase had checked in on you throughout the course the last week and so glad that you are okay. That is behind you. We're moving on to San Diego next. There's been so much anticipation about this event and what this is going to be like.

What do you think the spectacle will be like going out there and racing at the naval base? I think it's going to be awesome. And everyone kind of compares it to the Chicago street course, which it is a street course and some, and it is a street course, period. But the difference is it's going to be way wider than what we had as Chicago. So Chicago ended up being a really raceable track. And I think that this is going to be even better. So, and plus the scenery around it is going to be absolutely immaculate.

And I think the whole industry is very excited about going to a new market. Racing in San Diego is going to be one to remember, that's for sure. Yeah. Did you ever think he'd be racing at a naval base? I mean, we've done some unique things. but this is definitely sets the bar. Yeah, never in a million years. I think this was going to happen.

But I just, I'm excited. I'm excited about it. I think going to new markets is so important in our sport. So, you know, the Chicago Street course was kind of eye-opening to show that we can do this. And, you know, San Diego is a place that it seems like they're super excited about NASCAR whenever we went out there and did the filming a couple months ago. Everyone embraced us. The community embraced us. us. So I think we're going to put on a really good show.

I think so, too. You mentioned the importance of NASCAR trying new things. Do you welcome those challenges when they kind of present something totally different to you as a competitor? I do. I enjoy it. I really like going to new tracks. You know, the, what was it, the Coliseum in LA. That was a fun to do. And everybody, whenever everyone's learning together, it really is a test to see who can master it the quickest. And my results haven't really shown well. like going to new racetracks, but believe it or not, I feel like I do really well going to new places. So whether that was, you know, Road America, whenever we first went there with the Cup cars or the Indianapolis Roadcourse or the Coliseum, Bowman Gray, it's been a ton of fun to be in this sport

and getting to experience these new races and style of, you know, schedules that we've been having. Now that you've been able to get an idea of what the track is, you've obviously probably seen all the renderings on irasing and things like that. What do you think of it? Like how how challenging is this going to be? So I I was really excited whenever I had the opportunity to go out to San Diego and do the filming and we got to kind of ride around the track. And it was interesting that like turn one, turn two, turn three, turn four, which is all that the streets, right? I drove on those streets whenever I was in San Diego. So I was able to memorize and learn that part of the track really quickly. But the track, the part of the track where you turn off into the concrete, into

the open area in the Navy base, that was the hardest part for me to learn because I didn't, I hadn't been there or I hadn't driven it in real life. So yeah, it's going to be interesting to see how well the SIM lines up to, you know, reality and in all of the images in the world in the simulator that we see how that's going to line up to real life. So it's going to be, I think it's going to be a lot of fun regardless, but it'll be interesting to see whose simulator captures it the best. It's going to be spectacular to see for sure. We do have those two road courses in a row.

You have the injury, I know, and a relief driver, if you needed. Do you think you will? Like, how are you planning to manage these two road courses? Yeah, it's just going to be a touch-and-go deal. you know, I'll get a much better feel for what's going to transpire after the Friday practice session. I think everybody is well aware that San Diego is going to be much harder than what it was at Pocono. And the last thing that I want to do is go out there and tweak my wrist and, you know, set myself back to where it's, you know, a couple more weeks later that I'm at 100%. So, you know, we'll see what happens and see how I feel through practice and qualifying.

And regardless, I'm going to be in the car at the start of the race. and who knows, maybe I'll get out front and I'll say I can do this. Well, I hope that it goes smoothly for you. And I want to ask about your acting skills and whether or not you have an Oscar-worthy performance there in NASCAR versus the Navy. How was that? I don't think so. Yeah, I very much embraced my role of being whatever it was, kind of the lesser role. I love driving race cars.

I'm not an actor. I love driving race cars. So it was fun to be a part of it. acting's not my day job and I will I will not blame that one. Well, still a cool experience nonetheless. So big picture kind of of the team right now. I know you obviously have a unique variable that happened at Michigan, but what do you think are the strengths and weaknesses of the 20 right now?

Yeah, I mean, I really can't think of many weaknesses that we have. It's been, man, we've been doing so well and putting ourselves in position to win and really felt like it was rolling our way. You know, between Charlotte and Nashville, those were two great races that we were able to get good finishes out of. And then Michigan was, you know, it was looking like we were going to be right there in the thick of it again before that crash. So I was super, yeah, super optimistic about where we're at.

And hopefully once I can, once I overcome this setback, we'll be able to pick it back up. Joe Gibbs Racing as a whole is very strong right now. Now your teammate, obviously Denny Hamlin, winning three in a row. You've done that before yourself back in 2025. What is that like for a driver when you just have that incredible momentum and back to back to back wins? Yeah, it's just so crazy how whenever it's going your way, you feel like you can do no wrong. And then there are other times where it feels like you can do no right.

So Denny and the 11 group have been really fast. The Toyotas are clearly on top of the pylon right now as far as speed and overall car potential. So, yeah, we haven't been able to execute and get to Victory Lane yet, but the 11 has, and they're making the most out of these fast Toyotas that we have. So we've talked a bit about the season as a whole, obviously what occurred at Michigan. I want to bring up your wife for a moment, Morgan, because she's been in your life a long time. She comes from a racing family. What has the support of her been like for you, especially in the tough moments like you endured just a few weeks ago?

Yeah, she definitely rides this roller coaster with me. and she's, you know, in it every step of the way. I think she probably takes the highs and lows a little bit worse than what I do. And she was, you know, super bummed about Michigan and, you know, having the injury. But she's been, you know, been my rock. And she's the one who's taping my cast up whenever I get in the shower now. So I'm super thankful that I have her with me. And I can't wait until we get to see more, you know, images like that and Victory Lane together.

Yeah, she's one of the coolest wives in the garage. I can attest to that. And watching the broadcast throughout the course of the season, I love the advertisement that shows you as a kid for mobile. And there's a voice in the background saying Christopher David Bell, who is that? Is that like, who is that in your family saying that? Yeah. So that is, I call her my aunt khaki. She's actually not my aunt.

She was my mom's best friend whenever we were growing up. So my parents were not into racing at all. Like I grew up in Oklahoma, loved football, basketball. my dad was a basketball coach. No motorsport ties at all except for my parents' friends, which was Aunt Kaki and Uncle Will. So I was out at Uncle Will and Aunt Kaki's house and they're like, hey, come drive this go car right here. And so, yeah, it was, I'm thankful for them. And they're the ones who got me into motorsports and got me into racing.

And Uncle Will and Aunt Kaki certainly had a huge part in my, well, they're the reasons why I'm race car driver Christopher Bell now. I love that. And they have to be so proud of you. And they started this whole thing. What was it about racing you think, though, that like spoke to you at such a young age? Like, what was that feeling of like, oh, I like this. I think I want to keep doing this. Yeah. I mean, honestly, what I love the most about it was whenever you were on track, it was you. It was you against 20 other competitors. And growing up, you know, my dad was a basketball coach. I mentioned that. And you had a team around you. And, you had a team around you. And, racing is no different. You have a team, but once you're on the track, it is in your hands to go out there and beat your competitors. And I love the thrill of competition. I love the adrenaline and the thrill of driving race cars. And I still do. I just, I love driving race cars and I love competing against everyone else, man versus man. We're looking at footage of you, of course, winning at the Chili Bowl, I believe, here in the dirt racing community. That's kind of how you came along. It's a very unique skill set, I might add, being.

a dirt racer. How proud are you to represent that community of racers? I mean, I certainly am very proud of where I came from. And I, what I love about dirt track racing is how talented and, you know, great all of those drivers are in that industry. And, you know, one of the, I think dirt track racing really gives drivers a great skill set to take to NASCAR because you're constantly sliding the car around. You get great car. control from dirt track racing. But on top of that, whenever I was a dirt track racer, like, I was able to to become a professional racer on the dirt tracks before I even started asphalt racing. So I think you learned much differently than, you know, some of the, the asphalt side of

like being a hobby racer and amateur and then moving up to the NASCAR series. Like I was a professional driver and professional racer much before I entered into the NASCAR scene. Yeah, you were identified pretty quickly as a young phenom in that world. When did you yourself realize that you had a special talent and you realized that like you could actually make a job out of this? Oh man. That's, uh, yeah, that's, that is, that goes back a long time. But, you know, I, whenever I first started driving from my parents, um, we, we didn't have the best equipment. And, and it, it really wasn't until I got my first hired, uh, opportunity in great car. that I was like, hey, I'm actually pretty good at this.

And the moment that I got out of my parents' equipment and into a-level equipment, I was able to elevate myself and win. And then it was kind of there that I realized that I was pretty good at it. And that was in my early teenage years. So I didn't think that I was really going to make a job out of it yet. But then one thing turned to another. And once I got hired for that first time, I had success. And then other people started hiring me.

And then whenever I first got that opportunity with Keith Coon's motorsports, that was kind of the turning point of like, you know, I think I'm going to have an opportunity to make this my job. And that was still all dirt track racing. Like I never, I was 20, 21 years old before I even drove a stock car. So NASCAR didn't become on my horizon until I got into my 20s. Wow. Well, you have had an incredible career. No question about that. What is your family's reaction to everything you've achieved?

I think they're just, you know, honestly, I think they're shocked. You know, I don't think anybody saw it coming that a kid from Oklahoma who didn't grow up with, you know, motorsports in their family history, I don't think any of them saw myself turning into a NASCAR Cup series driver. So, yeah, I mean, I'm, I think one of the biggest things that helped me get to where I was today was I never had the goal of being a NASCAR driver.

I just had the goal of being a professional racers. So I, you know, was content with where I was so early in life in my teenage years that it allowed me to exceed in that moment and not focus on moving ahead and trying to, you know, put the cart before the horse. And that's, you know, one thing that I try and tell young kids that are coming up behind me is like you have to succeed in the moment.

You can't, you know, you can't be looking so far ahead that you forget to win in the moment. And if you win races, winners won't be ignored, but you have to focus on your day-to-day and making sure that, you know, you don't focus too far out. That's great insight to give to younger generation racers. Do you think, too, a path like yours, it makes you appreciate things more, too, you had to come up the difficult way, not that everybody doesn't have it hard in some senses, but your story is not traditional. I would say. Yeah, it's it is it's so interesting hearing that Caitlin because I I recently just did a piece with Chase Brisco and I grew up alongside of Chase Briscoe were the exact same age. We had very

similar upbringings. But my path ended up being much, much easier than what Chase's path did because of you know the opportunities that I got and the lack of opportunities that he got. So we both ended up side by side in the NASCAR cut. series for Joe Gibbs racing, but everybody has their own story. And I'm so grateful for the opportunities that I had that, you know, gave me A-level equipment from Kyle Busch Motorsports to Keith Coons Motorsports to, you know, Darren Rustin and his family back in Oklahoma. It's truly been a blessing to drive, you know, such great race cars. You mentioned Kyle Busch Motorsports. And of course, I wanted to ask you about this after his passing. You want a title for

in the Crossman Truck Series back in 2017. Why was Kyle so special to you? Yeah, there really was not a single individual that had a bigger impact on my NASCAR career than Kyle did. And, you know, going back to my early routes as a pavement driver, it was all done under Kyle's Cowlish Motorsports banner. So whenever I first went stock car racing, we did some late model stocks through KBM. And then we did a couple of RCA races. and then into the Super Lay models and into the truck series.

And it was because of Kyle that I ended up where I am today. So, you know, forever grateful for my time alongside of him and his mentorship that he had towards me and helping, you know, make me into the racer that I am today. That moment we're looking at right there. How validating was that for you, just given everything you've talked about in the background and being able to come over and cross over to NASCAR,

something you didn't necessarily anticipate and win a title. Yeah, you know, that 2017 season was really, it was the make or break year for me. And I first went to KBM in 2015 in the truck series. And I ran a couple part-time races and was fortunate enough to win the dirt race at Eldora and showed promise throughout my asphalt starts. I think I had, I don't know, five or six of them through 2015. And that led me into the full-time season in 2016. 16. Well, in 2016, I ended up paired up or teammate with William Byron and William was with Rudy.

And William and Rudy, you know, they set the bar. They won a ton of races. They should have won the championship if it wasn't for a parts failure that year. And William really kicked my butt in 2016. And, you know, my team just really couldn't get going. We couldn't jive. We weren't getting the results. And William was really, you know, smoking us. And it, it was a make or break year in 2020. 2017. So I remember sitting down with Kyle in the off season between 16 and 17 of saying, hey, you have to pair me with Rudy and give me that same opportunity. And I'm either going to sink or swim. And I remember coming off of 2016, I was really, I didn't think that I could do it. And I was down on myself. And then once I got paired with Rudy in 2017, the success came. And that led to that, you know, multiple win season in the championship. And so yeah, it was,

17 was my Mulligan year, I like to call it. We're talking about your time in the truck series and obviously Kyle Bush being instrumental to you. Another person who is now is Coach Gibbs, obviously one of the most prominent figures in sports for everything that he has achieved. What is some of the lessons and things you've kind of learned from coach over the years? Yeah, Joe has, he's just done such a great job of putting the right people in place to, you know, be the past. powerhouse organization that they are. And he is just, he's the best leader I've ever been around and fortunate to, fortunate enough to drive for.

He, you know, him and Kyle, while they could be so polar opposite in some ways, they are so similar in other ways in the fact that they demand greatness from everybody that they come across. And that's what creates the teams that they both had and the success. they both had. You have to have good people around you in order to succeed. I want to touch two on your crew chief, Adam Stevens, one of the smartest crew chiefs on top of the box in the Cup Series garage. What kind of asset do you feel like he's been to you? Yeah, it's been a really good pairing for me because whenever I first joined with him in 2021, obviously I was

new to the series. I was young. He was just coming off of multiple championships with Kyle Bush. So we had plenty of experience. And I think it's always a natural fit to pair young drivers with experienced crew chiefs that are able to kind of lead the road. So yeah, I'm very fortunate to have the team that I do. All of my mechanics and engineers, and certainly Adam are next level and the best in the garage. Yeah, your road crew has a lot of depth, really solid mechanics on there. And I think about the pit crew too has been so strong this season. Yes, the pit crew. What's that like for a driver knowing and having confidence in your crew, they're not going to make mistakes and that you can just know they'll rise to the occasion? Man, you have to have a good pit crew in order to have success to this level.

And my pit crew is absolutely amazing. It's been so fun to get to bond with them over the years and see, you know, whenever they first came on to my car, they took some time to get acclimated to, you know, my tendencies of stopping in the box, how I handle. the car throughout the pit stop, accelerating out of the box, what the jackdrop feels like. And now our pit road is as good as it gets. So, yeah, it's an honor to drive for such talented individuals. Well, it's also an honor to watch you and you do your craft. You've had such a great career. We're thinking about you and hoping you have a good recovery. And we're wishing you, of course, the best of luck as well in San Diego this weekend. Christopher Bell, thank you so much. And again, best of luck to you this weekend. Thank you, Caitlin.