Denny Hamlin declares Christopher Bell as a Championship favorite after Gateway

Christopher Bell did not win the race at Gateway on Sunday, but Denny Hamlin is confident that he will be in line to win a championship this season. On Hamlin’s Actions Detrimental podcast, he declared that Bell will be a favorite to win his first title at the end of the year.

“When I saw he finished seventh, I was like ‘Oh wow,'” Hamlin said about Bell who had engine issues at the end of the race. “He limped it home, but I think the field was so spread out that moment. …Maybe he gained a second by [Martin] Truex pushing him down the straightaways but certainly was beneficial. He was still running really fast through the corners.

“This is the second track in a row these mile flat tracks where [Bell] has really shown a lot of speed. If he can make it to Phoenix, he’s gonna be a threat.”

Along with the seventh-place finish at Gateway, Bell won the Coca-Cola 600 last week. He has won two races this season and eight in his career. Bell is looking to win his first title after finishing in the final four the last two years.

“I have no idea what happened,” Bell said after the race on Sunday. “Some sort of motor issue. I’m surprised that I made it to the end. Glad we were able to salvage something out of it. You don’t get race cars like that very often. Whenever you do, you need to take advantage of it. Disappointing day.”

Christopher Bell on Gateway being a ‘struggle’ for him

What’s interesting about Bell finishing seventh and having engine issues at Gateway is he admitted to having his share of challenges at the track. “Gateway has been a struggle for us for sure,” he said after winning the Coca-Cola 600 last week.

“The only two Cup races we’ve been to, it’s been a weak link on the schedule for the 20 team, so that one I don’t know how I feel about it. But certainly going to Sonoma, road courses have been really good for us, so I expect us to be a contender there, and then Iowa, I don’t know how anyone could be considered more of a favorite than me, and then Loudon is obviously a really good racetrack for me.

“We’re in a great part of the schedule, and the cool thing is that I feel like every time we go to the racetrack I should have capability and have a chance to win. We’ve just got to keep pushing in the right direction. The last several weeks have not been good, but I know that I have the right people around me to succeed and do really good things.”