Christopher Bell Confesses That People Start To “Dislike Him” After Getting into NASCAR

Christopher Bell reveals that he faced an untoward wave of hate after climbing the ranks and racing in NASCAR with JGR.

Christopher Bell Confesses That People Start To “Dislike Him” After Getting into NASCAR

Christopher Bell (via Getty)

Christopher Bell emerged as one of the better competitors to fight for race wins, as he then started to face untoward hate hurled towards him. The 30-year-old has rarely made any controversial remarks that would cause this hate towards him. Moreover, the No.20 driver was a person who wasn’t hated much when he was growing up, as he is now unaware of how to deal with it. Now, Bell reckons that after getting into NASCAR and making winning races a habit, he started to receive a lot of unnecessary hatred.

Christopher Bell has achieved four impressive race wins this season, with one being the iconic All-Star race. Sometimes, the drivers who excel in their careers face a lot of hate due to dominating the playing field and denying other drivers the chance at winning. However, this isn’t the case with Bell, as he has maintained a great track record with occasional ups and downs.

Now, Bell questions the reason behind the unnecessary hate being thrown towards him. The 30-year-old revealed that nobody disliked him in the junior categories. The JGR star pointed out that as soon as he got into NASCAR, the hate started. The No.20 driver couldn’t understand if he was an ‘a**hole’ or if he changed along the way, but one thing was certain that he had more people not liking him now.

Nobody disliked me. Then you get into NASCAR, and I don’t know if it’s because people don’t know the individuals, or maybe I have changed and I’m just an a**hole, but I’ve definitely got people who don’t like me now.

Christopher Bell told The Athletic.

After facing a lot of hate, Christopher Bell asserted that he did not understand why people stopped liking him all of a sudden and hurled hate towards him. The 30-year-old noted that people liked him when he was a kid, but now he had people who did not like him without knowing him personally. As such, Bell would ideally want this hatred to stop, as he does not intend to offend anyone with his actions, be it winning a race or wrecking into another driver.

I’m like, ‘I don’t understand how anybody could not like me.’ I never had people dislike me as a kid growing up, and now I do.

Christopher Bell added.

Christopher Bell reveals what helped him get more comfortable expressing himself in NASCAR

Christopher Bell wasn’t always so vocal and expressive of his opinion on matters regarding his performance and shortcomings. However, in recent times, the No.20 driver has spoken out more without any hesitation, while maintaining a calm attitude and candor.

Christopher Bell celebrating his All-Star win with JGR ally (via Imagn)
Christopher Bell celebrating his All-Star win with JGR ally (via Imagn)

Hence, Bell was questioned about what change throughout the way that helped him conquer his fear of speaking up and speak out more clearly regarding various matters.

Bell reckons that the main thing that changed was that he got more and more confidence and commitment from the team and sponsors over the year. The 30-year-old pointed out that NASCAR is very tough as a driver gets scrutinized for the smallest of matters. As such, the JGR star didn’t want to say something offensive and upset the sponsors, which could have a greater setback than anticipated.

I know what changed, and it was single-handedly the confidence and commitment I got from my team and my sponsors. This sport is so tough because you’re scrutinized to the sharpest of margins. Whenever you have sponsors who are paying for you to race, you have to have these people, and you just don’t want to say the wrong things. You don’t want to get in trouble.

Christopher Bell noted.

The 2025 season has been great for Christopher Bell as he occupies the third spot in the drivers’ standings with just an 80-point deficit to the leader. The 30-year-old has already locked his spot in the playoffs and is looking extremely promising to contend for the title by the end. The hate isn’t going to stop anytime soon if Bell does actually win the championship.

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