Christopher Bell becomes 43rd driver to finish runner-up in points
For the first time in his NASCAR Cup Series career, Christopher Bell finished runner-up in points.
Bell finished 49 points behind champion Kyle Larson, earning a career-high in points. His previous-best was third in points (2022).
“I’m really proud of the consistency that we had,” Bell said in his post-race interview with NBC. “Throughout the course of even 2025, we went on that hot stretch and won a lot of races early on, then we kind of fell off.
“This year consistently we were in the mix. We were in there for contention of race wins. Obviously disappointed we didn’t win more. Yeah, just happy and thrilled and thankful that I’m in position.”
Bell’s season featured 1 pole, 1 win (Darlington), 16 Top-5 finishes, 20 Top-20 finishes, 841 laps led, and a 13.4 average finish.
Bell is the seventh different driver in each of the last seven seasons to finish 2nd in points. Across the 78-year history of the Cup Series, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver is now the 43rd driver to be runner-up.
Other active competitors who have finished runner-up in points are Ryan Blaney, Ross Chastain, Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson, Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano.
Richard Petty has the most runner-up finishes in points with six, followed by Bobby Allison and Mark Martin each with five.
Twelve times in Cup Series history has the runner-up gone on to win the championship the next season. Tony Stewart was the last driver to do so (runner-up in 2001, champion in 2002).
SOURCES
NASCAR, Racing-Reference.info
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Dominic Aragon View All
Dominic Aragon is currently the editor-in-chief for The Racing Experts.
From Grants, New Mexico, USA, Aragon started watching NASCAR in 2004 and has been covering the sport since 2009. Aragon is a 2012 graduate of Grants High School and a May 2016 graduate of the University of New Mexico with a B.A. in Mass Communications & Journalism. Aragon has worked in local and national media, as a musician, and an educator. He is co-author of the 2024 book "All of It: Daytona 500 Champion Tells the Rest of the Story" with racer Geoff Bodine.
Aragon, his wife Feliz, and son Christopher currently reside in Grants, New Mexico, USA.
You can reach Dominic at daragon@theracingexperts.net.