Toyota Racing – Christopher Bell
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes
LOUDON, NH (July 16, 2021) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell was made available to media prior to the New Hampshire race weekend today:
CHRISTOPHER BELL, No. 20 Rheem – Watts Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
What can you learn from the Xfinity race since the traction compound will be added after the race?
“It’s going to be a lot more difficult than what I was anticipating and not really ideal situation for sure. You would like to get a Xfinity race on the same track that you are going to run the Cup car, but on the same hand it’s still Loudon. The track is going to be a little bit different, maybe the racing line will be a little bit different, but still, you will be in that Loudon rhythm so to speak of. I definitely had to dig a little bit to find the last race without PJ1, and it affects the racing quite a bit. It will be interesting to see what race turns out better between the Xfinity Series race and the Cup race.”
Is there anything that you will need to remind yourself heading into the Cup race with the traction compound being applied?
“Probably, especially starting the race it’s going to be really difficult to just not over-drive and make sure you don’t get in the PJ1 too early. We know that it is super slick whenever they apply it, so the first couple of laps on Sunday are probably going to be pretty sketchy, so you just have to be really mindful of that. Once it does come in, you are just able to drive so much harder, because the track has a lot more grip. It will be the same for everybody and you just have to mind your p’s and q’s and don’t make a mistake early when the traction compound is still slick.”
Were you going to always be running the Xfinity race or did this just come up?
“It actually just came up a few weeks ago. I didn’t have any Xfinity races on my calendar. I’m not really sure what happened. I think Ty Gibbs maybe was supposed to run it and ended up doing the ARCA deal. So, I’m not really sure what happened, but I was very thankful for the opportunity and really glad that we have DEWALT onboard for Saturday’s race. It would be really, really cool to be able to get DEWALT into victory lane.”
Do you have any plans to race during this two-week break?
“Yeah, I will be going with Swindell Speed Lab, going Sprint Car racing. We are going to run Lernerville, Pennsylvania Tuesday after Loudon and then Friday, Saturday, we are going to Missouri to do a couple of all-star races. The week after that, I’m not really sure. It’s up in the air, but I will definitely be doing something somewhere.”
Why are you so good at New Hampshire?
“Whenever I first started pavement racing, I was fortunate enough to go and do a late model race at Loudon, so that was my first time there and I had a test with Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) before my first there in the Truck Series. It’s just been a place where I’ve had a lot of laps at. That test I think helped out a lot, and aside from that, I think I just have really good racecars. Going there with Kyle Busch Motorsports after that test, we had a really good package, and our trucks were really fast, and then Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) has always had a really good handle on Loudon. I would love to sit here and tell you that I have secrets for it, but the main ingredient is having really fast racecars.”
How do you feel about the lobster on Sunday if you win?
“I’m not crazy about touching the lobster. My wife (Morgan) is excited about it. I will probably let her hold it.”
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands plus our 1,800 dealerships.
Toyota has created a tremendous value chain and directly employs more than 47,000 in North America. The company has contributed world-class design, engineering, and assembly of more than 40 million cars and trucks at our 14 manufacturing plants, 15 including our joint venture in Alabama that begins production in 2021.
Through its Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights the way it partners with community, civic, academic and governmental organizations to address our society’s most pressing mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move, anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.
