When one door closes, another one opens. But nobody was expecting it to open for Tab Boyd so soon. The veteran spotter has tons of experience in the sport, having worked with Hendrick Motorsports earlier. But all of his reputation took a bad rap when Boyd uttered expletive-laden rants on his visit to Mexico City. Thus he had to leave Hyak Motorsports – only to be inducted by Joe Gibbs Racing. However, Christopher Bell is a bit wary.
The No. 20 Toyota driver is one of the top prospects for the 2025 Cup Series title. Riding high with his 4th-place rank in the championship standings, Christopher Bell is thoroughly focused. That is why his analysis of his team’s spotter change was also pointed.
Christopher Bell dissects his evolving situation
Well, a lot of things are looking bright for Christopher Bell. This season, Bell pulled off a three-win streak in Atlanta, COTA, and Phoenix and only lost the 4-win streak possibility due to a pit road mistake in Las Vegas. This fiery dominance has continued since in his consistency with 11 top tens and 7 top fives in total. However, there is a nagging problem which has potentially rocked his focus. Stevie Reeves, who has spotted for Bell since his Cup Series debut in 2020, left after Bell picked up the $1 Million All-Star Race win. The abrupt departure left Bell a little rattled, as he had to adjust to former JGR mechanic Matt Philpott’s newbie spotter role. Philpott worked in five races, helping Bell net a runner-up finish in Mexico City. However, now Bell needs to reorganize his strategy again.
Tab Boyd, who received backlash from fans about his Mexico City comments, is up. JGR caught him after he lost his job in Ricky Stenhouse Jr’s team. Boyd will be Christopher Bell’s new spotter, but the latter slipped out skepticism in light of the recent controversy. Bell is apprehensive about the upcoming race in Atlanta as well, where he won in the spring. Bell said, “It’s going to be tough. I’ve listened to Tab on our replay system, but aside from that, that’s all we’ve got. It’s going to be tough getting acclimated at probably one of the most spotter-intense racetracks on the calendar, but Tab has a bunch of experience. So yeah, we’ll play it by ear, and definitely the first stage or two is going to be a learning curve.”
Christopher Bell on having spotter Tab Boyd, who was released from Hyak Racing last week, as his new spotter. His interim spotter Matt Philpott did not have much experience compared to Boyd. pic.twitter.com/2S2UQWjjgx
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) June 28, 2025
With Ricky Stenhouse Jr, Tab Boyd and Hyak won the 2023 Daytona 500. However, we can only wait and see how Boyd will help Christopher Bell perform at EchoPark Speedway. For now, the driver was grateful for Matt Philpott, whom he ironically doubted for not having “tons of experience.” Bell said, “I’m super thankful for Philpott jumping in when he did in the heart of our schedule, which was super, super tough. He did a great job for us, and we’re thankful for him. When Tab became available, it made sense to add some experience to our team as we get closer to the playoffs and hopefully contend for a championship.”
This search for the right spotter for Christopher Bell makes sense in his pursuit of the title. It also falls in place with a crucial change in Bell’s approach.
Coming out of the shell
Christopher Bell’s racing prowess is indubitable. However, his media presence has been sporadic until the 2025 season. The Toyota driver has always been known for his taciturn nature, never rolling out more words in front of the camera than necessary. Bell even prided himself over it, as he told Motorsport.com in 2024: “I’m definitely quiet. I’m quiet and reserved, and people will kind of take that as a weakness.” However, the playoff race in Martinsville was a turning point for him. Bell attempted a ‘wall ride’ in that race and lost the Championship 4 spot to William Byron. The latter was under scrutiny as well for receiving help from Chevrolet teammates but got no penalty for it. Bell did not respond to the apparent unfairness immediately, but he undertook a quiet resolve.
That is why we saw Christopher Bell destroying the first quarter of the 2025 season with his win streak. Besides swearing to be better, Bell also decided to be more outspoken. He told The Athletic recently, “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.” Bell added, “Once I solidified myself and my position. … It allowed me to open up more knowing hopefully I don’t say the wrong thing, but you’re not walking on pins and needles and eggshells trying to make sure you don’t screw up and have a sponsor get away.”
Clearly, Christopher Bell would go to vast lengths to advance towards his goal. Even if that means hearing multiple voices on his radio comms, the JGR driver’s focus is intact.
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