HAMPTON, Ga. -- For the second time this season, Christopher Bell will head into a NASCAR weekend with a new spotter. This time, however, he will face a learning curve as he takes on one of the most spotter-intensive tracks.
Bell will have former Hyak Motorsports spotter Tab Boyd up on the roof as he tries to win at EchoPark Speedway for the second time this season.
"It's going to be tough," Bell said Friday during a media bullpen. "I've listened to Tab on our replay system, but aside from that, that's all we got.
"So, it's going to be tough for sure getting acclimated at probably one of the most spotter-intense racetracks on the calendar. But Tab has a bunch of experience, so we'll play it by ear. And definitely the first stage or two is going to be a learning curve."
Bell has already adjusted to a new spotter once this season. He started the year with Stevie Reeves, but the veteran spotter left Joe Gibbs Racing before the Coca-Cola 600 in May.
Matt Philpott then took over for the longest race of the season, and he remained on the roof through Pocono Raceway last weekend. He didn't have extensive spotting experience, but he had to guide Bell at tracks such as Charlotte Motor Speedway and Michigan International Speedway. Both tracks feature chaotic restarts.
"I'm super thankful for Philpott jumping in when he did," Bell said. "Right in the heart of our schedule was super, super tough. He did a great job for us. Super thankful for him."
Bell and Philpott made it through a difficult five-race stretch with three top-10 finishes and a runner-up. They built chemistry together, but Joe Gibbs Racing couldn't pass up the opportunity to get someone with Boyd's experience once Hyak let him go.
After all, this was a spotter who had guided Joey Logano, William Byron, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. to wins. This was a spotter that Stenhouse Jr. called "top five" in the Cup Series, especially at drafting tracks.
"If (Bell) feels like he's struggling in the superspeedway portion of racing, I feel like it will probably help him catch it," Stenhouse Jr. told AltDriver.
As Stenhouse Jr. explained, Bell will certainly face a learning curve as he adapts to Boyd's cadence and style. Every spotter is different.
However, the Hyak Motorsports driver believes that this change will only help the No. 20 team of Joe Gibbs Racing if Bell and Boyd can build their chemistry.
"Tab gives you really good information, but he's different," Stenhouse Jr. said. "I mean, every spotter is different. I mean, like when I had Mike Herman Jr. spotting for me, I felt like he kind of drove my car. Like he would tell me what lines to block.
"You listen to Coleman (Pressley) with Joey (Logano), I mean, he tells him exactly what to do. Tab will give you all the information. You've got to make the decision on what you want to do. But he gives you a lot of good information."
Is Bell comfortable receiving a ton of information and then making a quick decision in the heat of the race? That's a good question. He doesn't have an answer right now, but he will form one during the first stage of Saturday night's race at EchoPark Speedway as he tries to work his way from 28th to the front of the pack.
"Tab and I sat down -- and Adam (Stevens) as well," Bell said. "We sat down and kind of talked about our expectations from the team and what Tab expects from the driver and the crew chief and stuff like that.
"We kind of agreed that we're best off to let him do his deal and then give him feedback on the fly and let us acclimate to his spotting style."