Entering the 2026 NASCAR season, Joe Gibbs Racing Cup Series driver Christopher Bell had only run a total of five Craftsman Truck Series races since winning the championship in his second season in the series back in 2017.
Through the first nine races on the 2026 calendar, however, he has already run three races, more than he's run in any single season since winning that 2017 title with Kyle Busch Motorsports.
Bell competed at Darlington Raceway, Bristol Motor Speedway, and Dover Motor Speedway behind the wheel of the No. 62 Toyota for Halmar Friesen Racing. He made an unexpected start for the team in the No. 52 Toyota, after Stewart Friesen's injury, at Watkins Glen International in August 2025, and that relationship has continued into 2026.
Christopher Bell replacement confirmed for Charlotte
After his fifth place finish at the "Monster Mile", Bell is set to be replaced this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway by Leland Honeyman Jr.
The 21-year-old Phoenix, Arizona native hasn't run a Truck Series race since making his series debut at Bristol and finishing 22nd with Young's Motorsports in 2022. He competed full-time in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series in 2024 and returned for a part-time role in 2025.
Honeyman is set to become the sixth different driver to drive the No. 62 Toyota this season. Bell leads all drivers with three starts, and his win at Bristol is the truck's lone win of the year. He also placed sixth at Darlington.
Another full-time Cup driver, Legacy Motor Club's John Hunter Nemechek, has driven the truck twice this year. The entry's other drivers so far this season include Wesley Slimp, Mike Christopher Jr., and Cory Roper. Slimp has made two starts, while Christopher and Roper have each made one.
Beyond this weekend, the No. 62 Toyota does not have any confirmed drivers for the remainder of the season, but with full-time Cup Series drivers who have at least three seasons of Cup experience now allowed to compete in up to eight Truck Series races per season, don't be surprised to see Bell add a few more starts before the regular season concludes.
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