New Hampshire Motor Speedway is a demanding and uniquely configured brief race monitor that requires a prolonged courtship of trial and error for drivers to get a deal with on it.
There have been just a few exceptions to that tough and quick rule of NASCAR Cup Series racing on the Magic Mile and no one has adjusted to its quirky nuances higher than Christopher Bell.
Bell is the operator of the No. 20 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing and on Sunday (2:30 p.m.) he’ll defend his title within the operating of the Crayon 301 at NHMS.
“I love going up to New Hampshire Motor Speedway, it has been a really good race track for me in the past,” stated Bell. “It is all the time good break in the midst of the summer season to get out of the (sizzling) climate and I’m excited to rise up north.
“It’s been a great race track for me and the track is very unique in the fact that turns one and two are really smooth and three and four are very rough. It is very flat everywhere but has a little bit more banking when running up the track from two to three. It is place that is like nowhere else in the country.”
Bell has loved a brief and blissful relationship with the Magic Mile. The 28-year-old from Norman, Okla., shall be making his fourth Cup Series begin in Loudon and his report is greater than exceptional.
Bell made his Cup Series debut at NHMS on Aug. 2, 2020 and completed twenty eighth below the banner of the Leavine Family Racing staff. Bell’s fortunes took an upswing when he signed on with Joe Gibbs Racing the next season.
Bell completed second behind Aric Almirola in 2021 and took the checkered flag final yr. Bell staged a late rally to seize his second Cup Series win and secured one of many 16 slots within the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. Bell handed then Cup Series chief Chase Elliott on the 262nd lap and cruised to victory.
Bell loved unprecedented success at NHMS within the Xfinity Series, profitable three races in three begins. He additionally received a Truck Series race in two begins. Bell introduced immediate gratification to an unseen stage on the Magic Mile.
“I think a lot of it comes down to your car and the setup of your car and stuff like that,” stated Bell. “I feel (crew chief) Adam Stevens has actually discovered what it takes for me to achieve success there.
“Hopefully we’re in a position to duplicate that and I suppose we are going to discover that out in a few days. I might say it’s extra concerning the automobile and getting the automobile to really feel the way in which you want it to really feel. We have 36 drivers within the Cup Series and all of them are able to profitable if they’ve the texture they want contained in the automobile.
“Loudon has been a place where my crew chief has been able to give me the cars that I need to be successful and I don’t think it is anything more than that.”
Adam’s Rib
Adam Stevens, 41, has been a fixture within the garages of Joe Gibbs Racing since 2010 and has been the overseer of a number of the staff’s high drivers. Stevens labored the Xfinity Series with Joey Logano and Matt Kenseth earlier than shifting as much as the Cup Series when he was paired with Kyle Busch in 2015.
Stevens and Busch grew to become some of the profitable crew chief/driver mixtures in NASCAR historical past over a five-year stretch. They collaborated in 27 wins and captured the Cup Series championship in 2015 and 2019.
Stevens introduced that stage of experience and a profitable angle when he joined forces with Bell within the No. 20. Stevens and Bell are an instance of opposites attracting for a typical trigger.
“He just brings his expertise and he’s just a team leader,” stated Bell. “I’m a really a lot quiet and soft-spoken particular person and Adam is a bit bit on the opposite aspect of it.
“He does an awesome job main our staff and also you see that throughout the completely different garages the place generally the driving force is the chief and generally the crew chief is the chief. For me, I really want the crew chief to be that staff chief and Adam is ready to that.
“On top of that he is really smart and he gives me fast cars. So, I think we have a good combo.”
Numbers Game
Bell is fourth within the driver rankings with 591 factors in 19 begins with one win, 5 finishes within the high 5 and 10 within the high 10. The lone win was at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 9 and it secured a slot within the upcoming Cup Series playoffs.
Bell adopted the win at Bristol with a fourth at Richmond, two of the shortest tracks on the circuit. Bell’s early success on the brief ovals bodes favorably for his go to to New Hampshire.
“It definitely appears that short tracks are good for us at the moment,” stated Bell. “I might anticipate the JGR automobiles to be aggressive at Loudon.
“But the field is tight and Kevin Harvick is always awesome at Loudon and Kyle Busch is always awesome at Loudon so I don’t think it is going to be a home run by any means. I would expect the field to be strong on this style of track.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com