NASCAR star says he'd be 'happier' as Penske driver ahead of crucial playoff test

Christopher Bell might be on a high after that terrific playoff victory at Bristol, but the Joe Gibbs Racing still sees trouble ahead.

The field for the Round of 12 is now set in NASCAR Cup Series postseason action, with the next stage kicking off at New Hampshire this weekend.

You might think Bell would be full of confidence after his victory in Tennessee completed a clean sweep of the first stage for Joe Gibbs Racing - Chase Briscoe and Denny Hamlin had earlier won at Darlington and Gateway - but he is already assessing potential booby traps in the future.

Bell is extremely nervous about one particular test circled on his calendar right now - the trip to Talladega for the YellaWood 500 on October 19.

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Christopher Bell on Talladega

“I don’t see a weakness in the schedule, except for Talladega, and I would feel a little bit better about Talladega if it wasn’t in the Round of 8,” the 30-year-old admitted to Kevin Harvick on NASCAR on FOX.

“But with that being said, you can kind of look at it from two different viewpoints.

“It’s not notoriously been a great track for the Toyota group and Joe Gibbs Racing, especially since NextGen, but with that being said, there is going to be a lot more opportunity for a non-playoff car to win, which will open up another points spot to get into that championship event.”

Team Penske will be feeling good

While Bell is feeling pretty cautious about the road to Phoenix and that Championship race in early November, he does believe one team and its drivers will be feeling pretty good as they look forward.

“I think everybody probably feels the same thing," he added to his earlier comments.

"But if I was a [Team] Penske guy, I’d be happier than what I am now for sure.”

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