Christopher Bell – No. 20 Rheem Toyota Camry XSE Preview – Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway - Speedway Digest

No. 20 Rheem Toyota Camry XSE News and Notes:

600 Miles at Charlotte: Christopher Bell will make his sixth NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) start at Charlotte Motor Speedway (CMS) Sunday in the Coca-Cola 600. In his previous five starts at the 1.5-mile speedway, Bell has earned one top-five and two top-10 finishes.
NASCAR Salutes: Bell will carry the name of Thomas “TK” Kennedy on the windshield of his No. 20 Rheem Toyota Camary XSE this Sunday for the Coca-Cola 600 in honor of Memorial Day weekend as a part of NASCAR Salutes. On August 8, 2012, while in route to a Provincial Governor’s meeting in Eastern Afghanistan, MAJ Thomas Kennedy and three others were killed by a Taliban suicide bomber.
THOMAS “TK” KENNEDY: A true American hero, Thomas had an illustrious and decorated military career that wholeheartedly reflects his bravery and dedication to his country. His accolades included two Bronze Star Medals, a Purple Heart and Bronze Star posthumously, two Meritorious Service Medals, three Army Commendation Medals, three Army Achievement Medals, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal with a Bronze Service Star, the Iraq Campaign Medal with four Bronze Service Stars, a Combat Action Badge, an Air Assault Badge, a Parachutist Badge and a Ranger Tab.
RHEEM GUESTS AT CHARLOTTE: Rheem is hosting over 100 guests this weekend at the Coke 600. On-site is the family of our fallen hero, Major Thomas “TK” Kennedy, Kami, Maggie and Brody Kennedy and Kami’s sister, Kitchi. Rheem Executives Chris Peel (CEO) and Greg Henry (CFO). Guests from Smurfit Kappa, the Water Heater Division (WHD)-Southeast, WHD-Tankless, Distributor Hajoca, and Raypak, a Rheem owned company.
Bell NXS at Charlotte: Bell has three NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) starts at CMS earning two top-five and two top-10 finishes. In 2019 at CMS Bell dominated early in the race, earning the pole position and leading 33 of 45 laps in the opening stage before a flat tire ended his day early in stage two.
All-Star Recap: The No. 20 pit crew went back-to-back winning the Pit Crew Challenge at North Wilkesboro. Bell started the All-Star race third and challenged for the lead over the 200-lap event but the handling went away and ultimately finished 17^th.

JGR AT CHARLOTTE: Joe Gibbs Racing owns eight NCS victories at CMS, including five in the Coca-Cola 600. In 150 combined starts on the track’s 1.5-mile quad-oval layout, the organization has tallied 58 top-five finishes, 88 top-10s, 11 pole awards, and 3,886 laps led.
RACE INFO: The Coca-Cola 600 at CMS begins at 6:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 26, 2024. The race will be broadcast live on FOX, Sirius XM 90, and PRN Radio.

From the Cockpit:

Christopher Bell: “Racing on Memorial Day is special and I’m very honored to represent MAJ Kennedy and excited to have his family in attendance. The Coca-Cola 600 is a crown jewel event for our sport, and It’s a great opportunity to score a lot of points with the added stage. Our 20 group is needing a good race and there’s no better place than Charlotte to go get it.”

JGR PR