Christopher Bell was in fourth place entering the final lap of the NextEra Energy Resources 250 at Daytona International Speedway Friday night when he was involved in an accident that sent his Kyle Busch Motorsports truck flipping multiple times before coming to a stop.
He was able to climb out of his truck without assistance, was taken to a local hospital for evaluation and was released Saturday morning according to a statement from his team.
“Kyle Busch Motorsports driver Christopher Bell was involved in a late-race accident during the running of Friday night’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Daytona International Speedway. Bell was transported to a local hospital following the accident as a precaution and was evaluated and released early Saturday morning.”
The fact that Bell was able to walk away from such a violent crash is a testament to the importance of proper sports equipment and the safety measures that NASCAR has implemented.
The following day, Bell expressed his thanks on his twitter page.
“Nobody wants to test the safety gear that they are wearing but thankfully everything I had last night worked perfectly. The Butler seat, Arai Helmet and KBM Chassis did exactly what they were made to do and I walked away with only bruises. I can’t thank NASCAR enough and all the racers before me who have made this sport as safe as it is! I also want to thank the racing community and fans for the overwhelming support I have received, it means the world to me! And to the KBM team – You guys are the best, thank you!
Bell, a former sprint car racer, is in his first full season in the Camping World Truck Series. He competed in seven truck races in 2015 scoring his first win at Eldora Speedway in only his third start in the series. In eight starts, he has one win, two top-fives and three top-10s.
During Friday night’s race, Bell’s No. 4 JBL Tundra was competitive from the start but was caught up in an incident on Lap 42 when Cody Coughlin and Spencer Gallagher made contact. As Gallagher tried to correct to avoid the wall, he hit the left rear quarter panel of Bell’s car. After pit road repairs, Bell restarted in 23rd place but quickly made his way to the front where he was running fourth until the final lap wreck.
Johnny Sauter captured the win and Bell was scored with a 16th place finish and is currently 14th in the point standings.
The Camping World Truck Series action returns Feb. 27 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
