Adam Stevens, the crew chief for Bell’s No. 20 Toyota squad, had a double knee injury on a recent family vacation, according to a statement provided by Joe Gibbs Racing on Monday.
After a successful procedure to heal both of his knees, Stevens—who has been employed by Bell since the 2021 season—will work remotely “for a few weeks.”
Starting with this weekend’s race at Richmond (Va.) Raceway, car chief Chris Sherwood will assume the role of at-track crew chief, with Stevens operating out of the JGR headquarters “war room.”
“Although I will miss the track for a few weeks, I will be completely focused from a distance. I don’t think my physical absence will have an impact on our performance because of this No. 20 team’s strength and depth, said Stevens.
“I’ll be back at the track in a few weeks. The surgery went well.”
With three wins thus far this season—at Phoenix, Charlotte, and New Hampshire—Bell is presently ranked ninth in the series standings.
The two have combined for nine victories and eleven poles, with Bell qualifying for the Championship 4 in the previous two campaigns. In 2022, he had the third-best series finish.
Bell’s Cup career at Richmond has been remarkably consistent thus far.
In eight career starts, he has six top-10 and five place finishes. Bell overcame a speeding penalty to finish sixth in the spring race. At the Virginia short track, he has placed sixth or higher overall in six of the last seven races.
“With the option tire being introduced to points racing, Richmond is going to be a little bit different this time around,” Bell stated. “Nobody knows exactly how it will go, but I’m sure our practice session on Saturday will teach us a lot.”
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