After spoiling the announcement of who will replace Martin Truex Jr. in the No. 19 following the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series campaign, Christopher Bell is back on Joe Gibbs‘ good side following his win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Earlier in the weekend, Bell accidentally leaked the news while speaking to reporters that Chase Briscoe will be his new teammate at Joe Gibbs Racing in 2025, as the current Stewart-Haas Racing wheelman will be needing a new seat for next season, with his current team shutting their doors after the campaign.
“I don’t think that there really is a leadership role in that aspect,” Bell said before slipping up, via Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports. “Whenever Chase comes into the car [pauses and smiles] … I don’t even know what to say. Whenever we have a new driver [in the car].”
Of course, that caused a stir in Loudon, as it’s been widely speculated that Briscoe will be getting the No. 19 anyway. Bell’s slip-up simply added some more legs to the possibility, while the announcement still hasn’t been made official.
So what did Bell do in the days since? He only swept the weekend, capping off a trip to Loudon with a win on wet weather tires in the USA Today 301 on Sunday evening. Speaking with FOX’s Bob Pockrass and the rest of the media following the No. 20’s victory in Loudon, Gibbs laughed off the whole ordeal.
“Somebody asked me that in the Winner’s Circle and I said, ‘Christopher Bell can do anything he wants,'” Gibbs responded, laughing about the entire situation while basking in the victory with his driver.
They say winning heals everything, and that’s never been more true than seeing what Bell has gone through over the weekend. Even if he’s a little loose-lipped, Gibbs will put up with that for some more trophies throughout the season.
Sunday got even better for Bell after the race though, as he was officially off the hook for his screw-up, as JGR sent out a news alert that they’ll officially reveal the driver of the No. 19 for 2025 during a news conference on Tuesday.
The air might be out of the balloon, but Briscoe is a huge get for JGR. They seemingly won the bidding war, as the No. 14 wheelman told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio last week that he had “multiple offers on the table” to join a team next year.
Christopher Bell recognizes Chase Briscoe will be a huge addition to JGR in 2025, but he might want to remain a little more secretive in the future. Still, Joe Gibbs has nothing but love for the wheelman of the No. 20 Toyota, and that’s not changing, no matter how many announcements he spoils.
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