Joe Gibbs Racing star SLAMS team in foul-mouthed rant

Joe Gibbs Racing gave Toyota its 200th NASCAR Cup Series victory in St Louis on Sunday, but Christopher Bell was really not feeling it.

Bell’s teammate Denny Hamlin smashed through the landmark in the No. 11 car at Gateway to confirm his place in the next stage of the 2025 playoffs. But for Bell, the overriding emotion was not joy, it was rage.

The 30-year-old star from Norman, Oklahoma, was evidently far from happy with his team’s strategy when it came to his No. 20 car - in particular when it came to pit road.

Bell would eventually finish seventh in the Enjoy Illinois 300, and he remains well positioned to progress to the Round of 12 - some 32 points above the cutline. But with Hamlin and another JGR star Chase Briscoe finishing first and second it was little consolation.

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Christopher Bell goes off after St Louis misery

He unleashed an X-rated rant on team radio, raging: “We just f****** ran seventh with the best car on the track. Every f****** week it’s the same s***. We’re the last car to pit road. I’m over it.”

Later he would expand on those feelings, telling the media: “I just think we are under-performing. Clearly, the JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing) Camrys are amazing, and I don’t know.

“Our team cars are really good, and I felt like I had what I needed to race with them, and we finished seventh and they finished 1-2.

“I honestly think the cars are as fast as I’ve had in my Cup career, and we are just not getting results out of it."

Playoff standings provide a silver lining

While Bell was not happy with his finishing position compared to his teammates, he did cool down enough to admit that increasing his buffer to the playoff cutline was a positive to take away. He now sits in eighth place in the standings.

“On a lighter note, we had a good points day and were able to increase our buffer to the cutline, which is really good.

“I think, from that standpoint, mission accomplished. We had a great Camry. Just didn’t get the finish that we probably could’ve and should’ve (had).”

Bell’s winless streak now stands at 24 races since an early-season hot streak which saw him reel off consecutive wins at Atlanta, COTA and Phoenix.

He will get the chance to finally end it when the playoffs move on to Bristol for the elimination race this Saturday night (7.30pm ET, USA).

READ MORE: Hendrick Motorsports facing early playoff EXIT as star suffers St Louis nightmare

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