BREAKINMG NEWS:CHRISTOPHER BELL’S NASCAR CUP CREW CHIEF SIDELINED BY INJURY…

Adam Stevens, the crew chief for Bell’s No. 20 Toyota squad, had a double knee injury on a recent family vacation, according to a statement provided by Joe Gibbs Racing on Monday.

After a successful procedure to heal both of his knees, Stevens—who has been employed by Bell since the 2021 season—will work remotely “for a few weeks.”

Starting with this weekend’s race at Richmond (Va.) Raceway, car chief Chris Sherwood will assume the role of at-track crew chief, with Stevens operating out of the JGR headquarters “war room.”

I’m going to miss the track for a few weeks, but I’ll be totally focused from a distance. I don’t think my physical absence will have an impact on our performance because of this No. 20 team’s strength and depth, said Stevens.

“I’ll be back at the track in a few weeks. The surgery went well.”

With three wins thus far this season—at Phoenix, Charlotte, and New Hampshire—Bell is presently ranked ninth in the series standings.

The two have combined for nine victories and eleven poles, with Bell qualifying for the Championship 4 in the previous two campaigns. In 2022, he had the third-best series finish.

Bell has been very consistent at Richmond so far in his Cup career.

He has top-five and six top-10 finishes in eight career starts. In the spring race, Bell rebounded from a speeding penalty to finish sixth. Overall, he has finished sixth or better in six of the past seven races at the Virginia short track.

“Richmond is going to be a little bit different this time around with the option tire being introduced to points racing,” Bell said. “Nobody is quite sure how it’s going to go, but I’m sure we will learn a lot in our practice session on Saturday.”