NASCAR Cup Series fans eagerly await the arrival of Christopher Bell

With Denny Hamlin arguably becoming the most hated driver in the NASCAR Cup Series lately, fans are eagerly awaiting the arrival of Christopher Bell.

In recent months, two of Joe Gibbs Racing’s drivers may very well have switched spots atop the unofficial of “Most Hated Drivers” list in the NASCAR Cup Series. Those drivers are Kyle Busch, the driver of the #18 Toyota, and Denny Hamlin, the driver of the #11 Toyota.

Busch, 32, had been widely regarded as the most hated driver in NASCAR, and that was clear week in and week out. Fans despise his attitude and his arrogance, which it almost sometimes seems like he is making a point to put on display.

But there may have been a shift that began last October when Hamlin, 37, stated that he felt NASCAR drivers are underpaid despite the fact that he made $15,200,000 million last year, a total that trailed only Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. among Cup Series.

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Later that month, Hamlin wrecked fan-favorite Chase Elliott with just over two laps to go in the opening round of 8 playoff race at Martinsville, preventing Elliott from winning his first career race and advancing to the Championship 4 as a result of it. Then Elliott got revenge at Phoenix in the final race of the round of 8 and prevented Hamlin from qualifying for the Championship 4, and Hamlin made him out to be the “bad guy”.

Now in this past Sunday’s Daytona 500, Hamlin shoved Darrell Wallace Jr. into the wall as the two came to the finish line side by side. Wallace Jr. finished the race in 2nd place, with Hamlin inches behind him in 3rd. The two drivers had an angry confrontation after the race. Hamlin then went on a Twitter rant because Wallace Jr. poked fun at a comment made by him before the race — a comment that he had stated was only a joke after he felt it was “getting blown up.”

This has prompted many fans to become sick of Hamlin, and many say that they cannot wait for Christopher Bell, who drives the #20 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing in the Xfinity Series, to come to the Cup Series to replace him.

Here are some of the comments by fans.

Bell, 23, won the 2017 Truck Series championship driving the #4 Toyota for Kyle Busch Motorsports. He won five races throughout the season. He finished in 3rd place in the 2016 championship standings after winning just one race throughout the season. He won one race in the 2015 season as a part-time driver for the team.

This season, Bell was promoted to drive the #20 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing full-time in the Xfinity Series. He finished in 39th place at Daytona to open up the season. However, in eight races as a part-time driver for the team last season, he racked up five top 6 finishes, including a win at Kansas.

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Denny Hamlin signed a contract extension with Joe Gibbs Racing at the beginning of the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series season. Odds are that contract extension was a three-year extension that runs through the 2020 season. Could Christopher Bell replace him at that time, or possibly even before then since it is likely that he will be highly desired by the sport’s top teams and Joe Gibbs Racing may not want to pass him up? At this point, it is anybody’s guess.