Christopher Bell has one final opportunity to turn an already impressive NASCAR season into a championship-winning campaign.
The Joe Gibbs Racing driver enters Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race at Homestead-Miami Speedway trailing Kyle Larson by 67 points. It is a significant deficit, but Bell remains mathematically alive in the fight for his first career Cup Series championship.
And unlike Larson, who needs a relatively quiet afternoon to secure his third title, Bell has no room for an ordinary Sunday.
The No. 20 Toyota needs to be fast from the opening green flag, capitalize on every stage point and ultimately find Victory Lane.
If Bell wants to become NASCAR’s newest champion, he will need almost everything to go right.
Christopher Bell Needs a Championship-Level Performance
The championship math is straightforward.
Bell must win Sunday’s race and collect at least 14 stage points to remain in contention, depending on Larson’s performance.
There is an alternative. Bell can stay alive with a race victory and at least 13 stage points if he also collects the Xfinity Fastest Lap bonus point.
That means Bell cannot afford to spend the opening portion of the afternoon working his way through the field.
He needs to establish himself as a legitimate race-winning threat immediately.
The No. 20 team must finish eighth or better in the opening stage to keep its championship hopes alive.
After that, the focus becomes finding a way to beat Larson and put maximum pressure on the championship leader.
It is a difficult assignment, but Bell has demonstrated throughout his career that he can compete with NASCAR’s best.
Homestead Could Give Bell the Opportunity He Needs
Bell enters championship weekend with a track that presents an interesting opportunity.
Homestead-Miami Speedway rewards drivers who can carry momentum around the outside groove while managing tire wear over long runs.
It is a track that requires confidence and precision.
Bell has shown the ability to compete on intermediate tracks, and his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota has demonstrated race-winning speed throughout 2026.
However, the championship battle has not been without setbacks.
Bell suffered a multicar accident at Gateway before a power steering failure at Las Vegas created another major points setback.
The most damaging afternoon came at Talladega.
Bell spun entering pit road under green, suffered significant damage and finished 35th without collecting stage points.
Those results helped create the enormous gap he now faces.
Without those setbacks, Bell could have entered Homestead with a much more realistic opportunity to challenge Larson.
The Southern 500 Winner Has Already Proven He Can Deliver
One reason Bell should not be dismissed is his performance earlier in the season.
He opened the Chase with a victory in the Southern 500 at Darlington, one of NASCAR’s most prestigious events.
That win demonstrated the No. 20 team’s ability to deliver when the stakes are highest.
Bell also entered the postseason with seven runner-up finishes during the regular season, showcasing the consistency that has made him one of the sport’s strongest competitors.
He has the speed, the equipment and the experience to win at Homestead.
The question is whether he can put all of those pieces together when the championship is on the line.
Kyle Larson Is Standing Between Bell and His First Championship
The biggest problem for Bell is the driver sitting atop the standings.
Larson enters Homestead with a 67-point advantage and needs just nine points to secure his third career championship.
The Hendrick Motorsports driver can clinch with eight stage points or by finishing 28th or better without scoring stage points.
He also has the advantage of knowing that he does not need to take unnecessary risks.
Bell, on the other hand, must attack.
That creates an interesting dynamic for Sunday’s race.
Larson can focus on executing a clean afternoon, while Bell needs to balance aggressive racing with the discipline required to avoid another costly mistake.
The No. 20 team will likely be watching Larson’s position throughout the afternoon.
If the No. 5 Chevrolet encounters trouble, Bell needs to be ready to capitalize.
A First NASCAR Championship Would Change Bell’s Career
At 31 years old, Bell has already established himself as one of the premier drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series.
He has collected major victories, competed against the sport’s biggest names and consistently put Joe Gibbs Racing in championship contention.
However, a Cup Series championship remains the accomplishment that would take his career to another level.
Bell has the opportunity to become the latest Joe Gibbs Racing driver to capture NASCAR’s biggest prize.
He would also deliver another major championship for Toyota and give the No. 20 team a defining moment.
There is no guarantee another opportunity will arrive under the same circumstances.
That makes Sunday’s race particularly important.
NASCAR Championship Math: What Christopher Bell Needs
Here is where things stand entering the Homestead finale:
- Kyle Larson: Leads Bell by 67 points.
- Christopher Bell: Must win the race and score at least 14 stage points to remain in contention.
- Fastest-lap alternative: Win and score at least 13 stage points while collecting the bonus point.
- Stage 1 requirement: Finish eighth or better.
- Larson’s clinching threshold: Nine points.
Bell’s assignment is considerably more difficult than Larson’s, but the championship is not officially decided.
Can Christopher Bell Pull Off the Upset?
There is no denying that Larson enters Homestead as the overwhelming championship favorite.
Bell needs a nearly perfect afternoon, and even that might not be enough if the No. 5 team executes its race properly.
But NASCAR has a long history of producing unexpected championship moments.
Bell has the equipment, the talent and a race-winning résumé to make Sunday interesting.
For Larson, it is an opportunity to secure championship No. 3.
For Bell, it is an opportunity to capture the first championship of his career and deliver one of the biggest upsets of the NASCAR season.
The No. 20 team needs everything to fall into place.
And if it does, Christopher Bell could leave Homestead with the trophy nobody expects him to win.