Christopher Bell 2026 Report Card: Second in Points, an A
Welcome to the Happy Hour Racing 2026 Season Report Cards, where every full-time Cup Series driver gets a grade computed from all 36 races, not opinion. Next up: the runner-up, the number 20.
The Short Version
Christopher Bell's 2026 season ended 2nd in the standings, 49 points behind Kyle Larson. He tied for the most top 5s in the series with 16 and ran the most fastest laps of anyone with 714. He only won once, the Southern 500 at Darlington, after seven runner-up finishes in the regular season. A broken wrist in June and a pit-road crash at Talladega in October shaped the rest. His computed season grade is an A, 5th best of 35.
Why the Christopher Bell 2026 Grade Is an A
Every HHR report card grade comes from the same math. After every race, each driver gets a score out of 100 based on where they finished in the field, how many spots they gained or lost from the start, how many laps they led, and a penalty for not finishing. The season grade is the average of all 36 race scores, curved against the 35 drivers who ran the full year.
Bell's season score ranked 5th of 35, which lands at A. That is three spots ahead of the champion. Larson won three times and led the most laps, but he also had a stretch of nine finishes of 30th or worse before the Chase. Bell was steadier. His median finish was 7th, and he finished on the lead lap 25 times.
What kept him out of the A+ group was the bad days. He had five DNFs, and every one of them left him 31st or worse.
Christopher Bell by the Numbers
Here is where Bell ranked among the 35 full-time drivers in 14 stats. The bar and the circle show his rank (1 is best). The number on the right is the actual stat.
The speed numbers are elite. Bell ranked 1st in top 5s (16) and 1st in fastest laps run (714). He was 3rd in percentage of laps run inside the top 15 at 77 percent, 4th in average driver rating (94.6), 4th in laps led (841) and 4th in average running position (12.2).
The one number that does not fit is wins. One victory ranked him 10th in the field. His finish spread ranked 33rd of 35, which means when a race went wrong it went very wrong.
Seven Second Places and a Broken Wrist
Bell finished 2nd seven times in the first 26 races: Phoenix in March, Charlotte in May, Nashville, Chicagoland, Atlanta in July, Indianapolis and Iowa. At Phoenix he led 176 laps. At Iowa he led 108. Neither turned into a win.
The low point came at Michigan on June 7. On a restart, Chase Elliott slid into him, and RACER reported Bell fractured his left wrist in what was one of the hardest hits NASCAR had recorded in years. He did not need surgery and was cleared to race at Pocono the next week with a cast. He never missed a start.
Through the first 18 races his average finish was 17.7. Over the last 18 it was 9.1, with 10 top 5s.
The Southern 500 and a Costly Talladega
The Chase opened at Darlington on Sept. 6, and Bell finally broke through. He passed Larson late and beat Ty Gibbs to win the Southern 500, his first win at Darlington and the 14th of his Cup career. Per Jayski, it ended a 33-race winless streak.
He kept pace after that. He was 2nd at Charlotte in October, beaten by teammate Chase Briscoe by 0.029 seconds, and 4th at Phoenix after leading 85 laps. Then came Talladega on Oct. 25. Heavy.com reported his rear tires locked up entering pit road under green and he hit the inside wall. He finished 35th and went from 5 points behind Larson to 74 back.
He made some of it up. At Homestead he finished 2nd in Stage 2 and 4th in the race, but Larson clinched after Stage 1. Bell's Chase average finish was 10.8.
What 2027 Looks Like
No change has been announced for the number 20. Bell and crew chief Adam Stevens worked all 36 races together in 2026. Follow every ride and crew chief move on our 2027 silly season tracker.
The 2027 season starts with the Clash at Daytona on Feb. 13, then the Daytona 500 on Feb. 21. Start times and channels for every race are on our race TV guide. Every other driver's grade is on the 2026 report cards page.
The Bottom Line
Bell was fast every week and finished 2nd in the standings. Turn even two of those runner-up finishes into wins and this card looks like a champion's.
Christopher Bell Gear
- Christopher Bell 2025 All-Star Winner North Wilkesboro Shirt
- Christopher Bell 2025 Bristol Night Race Win T-Shirt
- Christopher Bell 2025 COTA Win T-Shirt
- Christopher Bell 2024 New Hampshire Magic Mile Master T-Shirt
Sources: NASCAR official race results and loop data for all 36 2026 points races; wrist injury via RACER; Southern 500 details via Jayski; Talladega details via Heavy; final standings via NBC Sports.
