After basically cruising through the Round of 16 and Round of 12, Christopher Bell expects getting through the Round of 8 to be anything but a cakewalk.
His reasons for feeling this way are certainly justified.
The eight remaining NASCAR Cup Series championship contenders are the best the sport has to offer. Consider, for example: Four of the eight are former series champions. Seven of the eight have previously competed in the Championship 4.
And, unlike in the previous rounds, Bell is not starting out ahead of the cutline for advancing (he’s seeded fifth).
These realities, coupled with the reality that he’ll likely need to win one of the three races in this round to punch a ticket to the Championship 4, have Bell feeling a sense of urgency entering Sunday’s Round of 8 opener at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
On Saturday at the track, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver addressed how his mindset for this round differs from the previous two.
Christopher Bell Gets Candid About Pressure Of Racing In Round Of 8
As with the first two playoff rounds, a win for any championship contender in the Round of 8 means an automatic berth in the the next round.
In the Round of 16 and Round of 12, however, winning wasn’t all but necessary to move on. Just putting together three solid races gave a driver a good chance of surviving.
“You make it into the Round of 8 and the mentality changes at this point in the season, in the playoffs,” Christopher Bell said. “The Round of 16, Round of 12, you’re just looking for points. It’s survival mode.”
With this round’s championship field consisting of significantly fewer drivers, it’s far more difficult to advance without going to Victory Lane in one of the three races.
Merely finishing all three Round of 8 races in the top 10 — or even the top five — may not be enough to move on to Phoenix with an opportunity to battle for a championship.
“The Round of 8, it’s about wins,” said Bell, who has prevailed four times in 2025. “Ultimately, you need to win in order to make that (Championship) 4. And if you don’t win, then have to be in that top five (and earn) big stage points competing for wins. So, it’s a lot different.”
Bell, of course, knows about that which he speaks. He made the Championship 4 in 2022 and 2023, then barely failed to transfer in last season.
“The Round of 16, Round of 12 are pretty similar,” Bell said. “And then the Round of 8 is a different mentality. And it takes a lot more to make the next cut.”
Christopher Bell Explains How Strategy In Round Of 8 Is Unlike Previous Rounds
With collecting trophies being at such a higher premium in the Round 8 than in the first two NASCAR Cup Series playoff rounds, Christopher Bell makes no bones about his different approach.
“I guess the biggest change is the risk versus reward meter,” said Bell, who is eight points behind championship leader Denny Hamlin and four points back of the cutline in the newly reset standings.
“The Round of 8, you’re probably a lot more willing to take risks to go for wins than you would be in the Round of 12 or Round of 16. Because you know the wins mean more now than they what they did in the previous rounds.”
So Bell, who starts third Sunday at Las Vegas, seems more than willing to go for broke in a town synonymous with taking big gambles.
“I have zero wins at Las Vegas. But it’s always been a really, really strong track for me,” Bell said. “We’ve performed really well. So, yeah, I would say I’m excited about coming here every time. And I think that one of these days, we’re going to get rewarded.”
It might even be Sunday.
“We know that this is a big opportunity,” Bell said. “Hopefully, we can capitalize on it.”
