NASCAR is set to break new ground next weekend. As part of the U.S. Navy’s 250th anniversary celebrations, Naval Base Coronado in California will become the first active military installation to host a NASCAR race. But amid the excitement surrounding this year’s San Diego weekend, one of the sport’s biggest stars has expressed some doubts. After surviving the hardest crash of the Next Gen era in Michigan two weeks ago, Christopher Bell admitted that he still cannot fully trust his own body following the Great American Getaway 400 on Sunday.

Christopher Bell admits his biggest problem

After the Pocono race, when asked by Bob Pockrass about the challenges for next week, Bell was talking about survival.

“My wrist is fine whenever I’m by myself,” Bell told Pockrass. “But certainly, like any sort of adverse conditions, like whenever I bang with the 21 or whatever getting into 3, and then that wreck in front of me, I just don’t really have the ability to make sharp, quick corrections to the car.

So, you know, whenever we’re running by ourselves, and we got single-filed out, I felt like it didn’t bother me, but I certainly think it affected my resources,” Bell added.

Bell’s comments came after he was caught up in the Lap 47 chaos at Pocono, which began when Austin Hill became involved in a multi-car incident exiting Turn 3. He avoided a major disaster, but the moment highlighted an uncomfortable reality: his left wrist still isn’t responding the way he needs it to.

In NASCAR, where drivers constantly make split-second corrections while braking, battling for position, and reacting to incidents ahead, that can be a significant concern.

Bell raced at Pocono Raceway despite suffering a fractured left wrist in a violent crash at Michigan International Speedway the week before. The incident occurred on Lap 148 when Chase Elliott lost control entering Turn 3, sending Bell’s No. 20 Toyota head-on into the outside wall between Turns 3 and 4. NASCAR later confirmed the impact was the hardest recorded crash of the Next Gen era, measuring 63 Gs and producing the highest Delta-V reading since the car’s introduction in 2022.

Bell managed to battle through the injury and finish 28th at Pocono. But the challenge could be even greater next weekend. While he had raced at Pocono eight times before, NASCAR’s upcoming event at Naval Base Coronado in San Diego will be an entirely new experience for the entire field. The tight street-course layout could place an even greater demand on quick steering inputs and rapid corrections.

When Pockrass asked him if his participation in next week’s race was confirmed, Bell said no.

The inaugural race at Naval Base Coronado will take place on a compact 16-turn street circuit built around the base’s existing road network. After taking the green flag on the Ellyson Start/Finish Line, drivers will immediately tackle Turn 1 before accelerating into Turns 2 and 3, a pair of fast 90-degree left-handers. From there, the track winds through the interior of the base, with Coronado Corner at Turn 8 serving as the gateway to one of the circuit’s most technical sections.

Unlike on an oval, there is little opportunity for drivers to catch their breath on a street course. Much like the Chicago Street Course, which features 12 challenging turns of its own, the layout demands constant focus and leaves little room to settle into a rhythm. Naval Base Coronado could prove even more demanding, and Bell is well aware of the challenge that awaits.

However, there is at least one encouraging sign for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver. “I mean, I don’t have any pain, which is really good. So yeah, we’ll see how the week progresses.”

Fuel gamble ends Bell’s Pocono shot

For most of the afternoon at Pocono, Bell barely looked like a factor. He quietly stayed in contention, avoided unnecessary battles, and most importantly, narrowly escaped the Hill incident. And that ended up becoming the foundation of his race.

Stage 1 and Stage 2 passed without much noise from the No. 20 team. But Stage 3 completely changed everything. As front-runners began making their final pit stops, Bell and his crew chief, Adam Stevens’ strategy, suddenly pushed the No. 20 Toyota into the lead.

The strategy quickly became clear: stretch the fuel window and force everyone else to play catch-up. By Lap 139, Bell looked to have a race-winning advantage, holding an 11.015-second lead over Denny Hamlin. From that point on, the battle was no longer about outright speed but about fuel management.

In an attempt to save enough to avoid one last trip, Bell began to retreat. But Hamlin continued to charge with each lap. The gap, of course, gradually vanished. Bell’s advantage had already decreased to 6.525 seconds at Lap 148. With four laps remaining, Hamlin finally took over while Bell tried hanging on. But the gamble didn’t survive. On Lap 159, Bell had no choice but to pit for fuel, ending any realistic chance at victory after leading late. Hamlin, meanwhile, took the checkered flag.

Bell departed Pocono with yet another reminder of how cruel the new Chase structure can be, rather than competing for the victory. Because every opportunity that is lost now counts! And Bell is also aware that the field will be trimmed after just ten races, and he’s got work to do.

He’s currently 10th in the standings with 421 points, 70 points above the 16th-place cutline.