NASCAR Cup Series: If Christopher Bell gets a ride, which team will he drive for in 2019?

If NASCAR Xfinity Series championship leader Christopher Bell lands a full-time Cup Series ride in the 2019 season, which team will he drive for?

Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell is in his first full-time season in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, and the 23-year-old Norman, Oklahoma native has adapted quite well to the series, as he is the clear championship favorite.

Through the first 19 races of the 33-race 2018 season, Bell leads the Xfinity Series championship standings, the playoff standings and the playoff picture with 702 points, four victories and 24 playoff points in his #20 Toyota.

While the 2017 Truck Series champion is not convinced that he will land a ride in the Cup Series in the 2019 season even if he manages to win the 2018 Xfinity Series championship, him landing a ride in the Cup Series next year is still a definite possibility.

Here is what Bell had to say about his future, according to NASCAR.com.

"“Going into next season, I am set for another year of Xfinity, and there are no holes in the Cup side, so that’s what makes it difficult. But as far as what I need, honestly I don’t feel like I need another year of Xfinity. I think the best way for me to win at the Cup level is to get there and start trying at it.“Toyota was the one that really ‑‑ they’re the reason why I’m here. I would love to stay with them, and hopefully it works out in the future. The biggest thing is I’ve learned throughout my years, and especially in NASCAR, is you are only as good as the race car that you sit in. Right now I’m at the best organization that I can be at, so I wouldn’t want to go anywhere else, honestly.“Even if the Cup deal doesn’t work out for next year, which it looks like it’s not going to, I’m still going to be sitting in a really fast race car at a level in motorsports where I never really dreamed I’d be at. So I’m going to be thrilled either way. But I definitely ‑‑ like I said, I’m 23 years old. I feel like I’m at my prime, and I don’t want to waste another year if the opportunity comes to make the jump.”"

If Bell does get the opportunity to move from the Xfinity Series to the Cup Series ahead of the 2019 season, for which team would he end up driving? There are two realistic options for the Toyota favorite, and those options are the two primary Toyota teams, Joe Gibbs Racing and Furniture Row Racing.

Joe Gibbs Racing’s lineup appears to be set for next season, as all four of their drivers, Kyle Busch, Erik Jones, Denny Hamlin and Daniel Suarez, are in positions to return to the team based on their contracts and/or sponsorship.

However, as we saw with Kasey Kahne and Hendrick Motorsports last season, contracts don’t always guarantee that a driver will be driving for a team through a certain season if sponsorship becomes an issue.

More from NASCAR Cup Series

That said, Bell should certainly not bank on sponsorship issues to land ride with Joe Gibbs Racing next year. But if he does end up landing a ride with the team, it would likely be as the replacement for Hamlin or Suarez as opposed to Busch or Jones.

The odds of this happening, however, are slim. If Bell gets the opportunity to drive in the Cup Series next year, it would likely be as a teammate to 2017 Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr. at Furniture Row Racing. Last season, Furniture Row Racing operated as a two-car team for the first time since their inception back in 2005, and they did so to field an entry for Erik Jones. Jones drove the #77 Toyota for the team in his rookie season before replacing Matt Kenseth as the driver of the #20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota this season

While they sold their charter for the #77 Toyota to JTG Daugherty Racing for this season to revert back to a one-driver team with Jones gone, Furniture Row Racing could very well buy a charter to field an entry for Bell next season, getting him into the Cup Series for the first time in his career and perhaps moving him one step closer to landing a ride with Joe Gibbs Racing when one of their four drivers leaves.

Like Bell stated, he is already 23 years old, so it isn’t like he would be getting rushed into the Cup Series. In fact, getting him into the Cup Series should be a priority seeing as how he is already 23 years old and loaded with potential.

Next. Top 10 NASCAR drivers of all-time. dark

Where do you believe Christopher Bell will end up driving in the 2019 NASCAR season? Will he continue driving for Joe Gibbs Racing in the Xfinity Series? Will he drive for the team in the Cup Series? Will he drive for Furniture Row Racing in the Cup Series?

Home/NASCAR Cup Series