Christopher Bell Ready to Dash Through Snowflake Field in his ToyotaCare Sleigh

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Open-wheel standout Christopher Bell will test his newly acquired asphalt racing skills against some of the fiercest late model competition in the country this week as he heads to Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Fla. for the Allen Turner Snowflake 100 Pro Late Model Race. Bell will pilot the No. 51 ToyotaCare Camry for Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM), making his Snowball Derby week debut in Saturday’s 100-lap precursor to Sunday’s main event.

 

“I’m really looking forward to seeing how we stack up against some of the best Late Model competition in the country this weekend running the Snowflake for Kyle Busch Motorsports,” Bell said. “It’s been a great experience learning to drive these cars and we’ve had a fast ToyotaCare Camry every time that we’ve gone to the race track. Each time out I learn a little bit more and gain more confidence. I know that the team is going to have another fast car Saturday and I just need to remember to keep the car under me for 100 laps and be there at the end of the race. I’m confident that we can compete for the win and it would be really cool to get another victory in the late model this year – especially in such a prestigious event.”

 

Bell, the 2013 United States Auto Club (USAC) National Midget Champion, has burst onto the asphalt racing scene this season driving a handful of late model races for KBM around his open-wheel schedule. In just his fourth career start, the 19-year-old outdueled second-generation NASCAR driver John Hunter Nemechek to win the Orange County 150 Pro All Star Series (PASS) South Super Late Model race at Orange County Speedway in Rougemont, N.C.  

 

After his win, Bell was in contention for victories in each of his next two PASS starts, but was relegated to a pair of runner-up finishes. In the North-South Shootout at Caraway Speedway in Sophia, N.C, the Oklahoma native had a sizeable lead with five laps remaining when he got clipped by a lap car and saw the handling of his ToyotaCare Camry go away due to the damage. After putting up a valiant effort, he was unable to hold off the closest challenger and was passed on the final lap. The following weekend in the Mason Dixon Meltdown 200 at Southern National Motorsports Park in Lucama, N.C., Bell had another strong Toyota and was leading late in the race, until a competitor with fresher tires completed a three-wide pass for the lead on a restart with 10 laps remaining and held off a relentless challenge from KBM’s wheelman in the final laps.

 

Bell broke his teeth in the asphalt ranks with three Late Model stock starts at Hickory (N.C.) Motor Speedway in September. The talented youngster finished fourth in his debut race at the .363-mile oval and then was unable to finish the second half of the twin 50-lappers due to a mechanical issue. He returned to Hickory the following weekend for his first 100-lap event. After starting from the ninth spot, he maneuvered his way as high as fifth late in the race, but fought a loose-handling Camry in the closing laps and ended the day with a 10th-place finish.

 

The talented teenager enters this weekend’s event fresh off a win in last Thursday’s Turkey Night Grand Prix USAC Midget race at Perris (Calif.) Auto Speedway. The win in the 98-lap event etched Bell’s name along other open-wheel legends A.J. Foyt (1960-61), Parnelli Jones (1964 and 1966) and Tony Stewart (2000), who all picked up a Turkey Night win in their careers and marked his 27th feature win of 2014 across a variety of disciplines, including Midgets, Winged Sprint Cars, non-wing Spring Cars and asphalt Late Models.

 

Now Bell prepares to battle his fiercest asphalt competition, with a 79-entry field for the Snowflake 100 that includes some of the biggest Late Model names in the country, including Nemechek,  Johanna Long, Augie Grill and Bubba Pollard.

 

Saturday’s 100-lap event is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. CT start. For more information on the schedule of events, visit www.5flagsspeedway.com.

 

KBM PR

 

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