Christopher Bell
CREW CHIEF: Ryan Fugle
TEAM: Kyle Busch Motorsports
POINTS: 1st
WINS: 5 (career-best and series-high)
LAPS LED: 875 (career-best)
TOP 5s: 15 (career-best)
TOP 10s: 21 (career-best)
POLES: 5
WHAT WENT RIGHT: Won from the pole once, at Atlanta ... Captured his championship by finishing second at Homestead-Miami Speedway ... Earned his way into the championship race for the second year in a row. Made it despite his only playoff win coming in the opener at New Hampshire ... Earned eight stage wins.
WHAT WENT WRONG: Earned just two DNFs, for a crash (Dover) and an engine failure (Bowmanville) ... A dirt racing veteran, Bell was the favorite to win at Eldora before he was involved in a Lap 36 crash. He finished ninth. ... Went without a stage win in six-straight races at one point.
WHAT TO EXPECT IN 2018: Bell makes the move to the Xfinity Series, where he’ll race the No. 20 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing. Bell already has one Xfinity win. He won at Kansas in October in one of his eight series starts this season.