LOUDON, N.H. — With seven runner-up finishes in NASCAR Cup Series competition this season, Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell smiles and anticipates the question: How close is he to finally hoisting a trophy in 2026?
For what it’s worth, this week’s stop at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway 1-miler has been a particularly strong venue for the 31-year-old Oklahoma native.
Bell has won two of the last four Cup Series races at New Hampshire in his No. 20 JGR Toyota and was strong in Saturday’s practice with top-five single lap speed early in the session and tops on 10-lap speed. It’s one of only two tracks (also Phoenix) where Bell has won multiple races.
Bell will roll off the grid from sixth position and comes into the weekend ranked seventh in the championship standings — tied in points with sixth place, Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott — and with a reasonable opportunity to move up the list considering he’s only 20 points behind fifth place, his JGR teammate Chase Briscoe.
Bell has finished top-five in five of the last seven races — turning in four of his season’s seven runner-up efforts in that span.
“We know that this is a huge opportunity for us and then Daytona is going to be a complete unknown,” Bell said of the two remaining regular season races to formally set the 16-driver Chase-eligible standings.
“I think this one is kind of in our hands to where we can control our own destiny. And then Daytona, we’re just going to go out there and basically go to Vegas and gamble and see what happens.
“Obviously with Briscoe having that huge day at Richmond (as runner-up), we got some ground to make up on him. Myself and Chase Elliott, are tied for sixth place. I think we’re in as good a spot as we could have asked for given the circumstances of 2026 for us.”
–Team Penske drivers have been lobster rolled
Team Penske teammates Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano laughed sharing their memories of receiving and celebrating with the traditional New Hampshire Motor Speedway winner’s trophy — a giant live lobster.
“You can’t eat them,” said defending New Hampshire race winner Blaney. “They’re too old. I learned that in Victory Lane. … He took a visit to the taxidermist and they put him on a nice little plaque, so I get it tomorrow. I’ll find a place in my house for him.”
Logano laughed recalling his first lobster hoist in 2009 — his first career NASCAR Cup Series win and one of two he has now here.
“I didn’t know what I was gonna do with this huge lobster, and so it was like, ‘Why don’t you just put it on a plaque,'” the three-time series champion Logano recalled. “They kind of thought I was crazy the first time, but who is laughing now? Everyone does it, I guess, so there you go.
“I’ve got a couple on the wall at this point. It’s a good icebreaker when people come to your house and see a lobster on the wall. You have a cool story.”
The teammates would love to add another chapter to their “cool stories” this week. A good showing Sunday could mean a lot heading into the 10-race Chase to decide the 2026 series champion.
Blaney, a two-time race winner, is ranked second to Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin in the championship, a full 115 points behind.
He holds only a 12-point edge on Hamlin’s teammate Ty Gibbs in third and only a 23-point advantage on five-race winner — and Sunday’s polesitter — Tyler Reddick in fourth. The points reset for the championship run following the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway next Saturday night.
“I look at the points once or twice a week, usually the night after the race to see where everyone is at, and then I remind myself where everyone is at before the weekend comes,” 2024 series champion Blaney explained.
“They don’t consume my whole race, but I notice where those guys are running just because we are in the fight with those guys for the second spot, but it doesn’t change our race. We won’t strategize our race around the 45 (Reddick) or the 54 (Gibbs).
“We strategize to try to win the race and then the points stuff takes care of itself. You do know that and we do know from second to fourth is a decent chunk of points, so that’s goal number one outside of winning the race the next two weeks — try to stay ahead of those two guys.”
–Deciding the final Chase position
Trackhouse Racing driver Shane Van Gisbergen is a two-time winner this season, and heads into Sunday’s race ranked 16th — holding onto the final Chase transfer position. He is 50 points up on 17th place, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing’s Ryan Preece and 63 points up on his Trackhouse teammate Ross Chastain in 18th place.
The New Zealander Van Gisbergen said Saturday at New Hampshire that nothing really changes in his approach as the regular season approaches its conclusion. He always races to maximize points — in both the two mid-race stages as well as his ultimate finishing position.
He does not ask for in-race updates on his closest competitors, saying he’s just ‘mindful’ of who he’s racing.
“Every week we’re thinking about points,” said Van Gisbergen a multi-time Australian Supercars Series champion before his move to NASCAR full time.
He concedes that championship experience is helpful.
“A lot of unknown next week (at Daytona) so would be nice to have a good week and try not to have big pressure next week. Execute and be mindful of the guys we’re points racing and see where we end up after the weekend.”
Van Gisbergen’s Trackhouse teammate Chastain is taking a similarly broad view of the weekend, not focusing on his closest competitors but simply trying to get the best out of his No. 1 Trackhouse Chevrolet.
“Just looking for speed, just trying to go faster,” Chastain said. “I’m surprised that qualifying effort ended as well as it did. I thought we’d be ten spots back based on how it felt in the car. So that’s nice to end up there.
“Points-wise, I’ve just got to go faster.”
–Zilisch signs with Hendrick for 2028
Hendrick Motorsports announced this week that 20-year-old NASCAR Cup Series rookie Connor Zilisch will drive the team’s famed No. 48 Chevrolet beginning in the 2028 season.
The young phenom will complete his current tenure driving the No. 88 Chevrolet with Trackhouse Racing before replacing Alex Bowman in the No. 48.
Zilisch, NASCAR Hall of Fame owner Rick Hendrick and team executive as well as fellow NASCAR Hall of famer Jeff Gordon, all met with the media this week to make the announcement.
Hendrick conceded as soon as he knew of Zilisch’s availability, he was intent to bring him onto the championship team.
“I know who I want and when I see talent like Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and all of the drivers that have driven for me before,” Hendrick said. “I think about Connor’s age and what his ability is, watching him at (NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series team JR Motorsports), meeting him and pulling for him in the garage area.
“When Alex made his decision, I’ve had my eye on Connor. But as Jeff said, all the stars had to align. … We wanted it to be on Alex’s (Bowman) term. And so, with his kind of farewell tour, that opened the seat. It just worked out. I think Jeff Gordon and I both look at talent.
“We want to see our company grow in the years to come, so if you can align with someone with the talent this young man has, the future is pretty bright.”
Gordon echoed the optimism about Zilisch fitting in with the team’s high expectations and continued culture of excellence.
“That’s a big key element of it,” Gordon said. “It’s not just his talent … that’s pretty obvious. But it’s really making sure that it’s somebody that has great communication skills and wants to be a great team player.
“The way that Hendrick Motorsports works, I feel like, is unlike any other organization out there. I get the pleasure to sit in on those debriefs with the drivers, the crew chiefs, and the engineers. You know, the more transparent you are, the more confident you are, the more information that you can add to the conversation, it elevates the entire organization.
“We all knew how talented he was on the road courses. To me, I think a lot of it was — well, what can he do on ovals? He’s proved and is continuing to prove that he’s good behind the wheel at any track that you put him at.”
Zilisch earned his only top-10 finish — seventh place — at the Sonoma, Calif., road course and his 11th-place showing at Iowa Speedway two races ago is his best on an oval.
This week marks the first time he’s ever turned laps at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and is maximizing his time here, racing in Saturday’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race too.
–By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service
