Toyota Racing – Christopher Bell
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes
MARTINSVILLE, Va. (April 6, 2022) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell was made available to media prior to the Martinsville Speedway race this Wednesday:
CHRISTOPHER BELL, No. 20 Yahoo Toyota Camry TRD, Joe Gibbs Racing
Did you notice anything with the Bristol test with Stewart Friesen?
“The track conditions look really good. Hopefully we are able to continue that, and I think we will see a dirt race. The thing about dirt racing is track conditions dictate a lot of it.”
Are you familiar with the changes that are going to be made to the car for the dirt race?
“So, I’m not really familiar with the changes that they are doing at all. I know they are doing a lot of underbody stuff, but I’m not sure what they are doing with that. I know that dirt build up has always been a problem with last year’s car and is very concerning with this too. I’m glad they are taking action and going out there with Stewart (Friesen) this week to do the test and learn some more about it before we go there for racing.”
How important was it to you to have two strong runs?
“It’s very important for sure and it’s just nice to be able to get some good solid races in. Looking back at last week in Richmond, we capable of a lot more than sixth and was ultimately disappointed with a sixth-place finish, but all-in-all, after the season started, it’s been rewarding to be able to get two good runs in a row. I think we have the capability of doing that week-in and week-out – having good finishes, having strong runs. Hopefully we can build on that and go to Martinsville and run strong again.”
How cool is it to have Yahoo on your car this weekend and this season?
“You want to talk about a dream come true – that’s pretty much it. I remember as a kid I would always watch Yahoo Sports and that’s pretty much how I got updated, so to be able to carry the Yahoo colors is really cool. We’re going to have a car that stands out, that is for sure. The purple car is going to look really good on track and glad we get to debut it this weekend in Martinsville.”
How was your Kansas test?
“Yeah, the Kansas test was a good test. We really didn’t have any issues. I think we learned a lot. Goodyear brought a couple of different tires and all of them performed really well. I was really happy either way – whatever decision they did on tires, but the top was fast for sure and that is one thing that we expected or learned to expect and know from the last couple of Kansas races. Very similar to Las Vegas, I think the cars are going to race really well there.”
When do you start worry about making the Playoffs?
“To be honest with you, it has definitely crossed my mind, especially with how the season started. I think we were – we might have been last in points after the first three or so races, so that was not ideal at all. I was really nervous about it, and we looked like we were headed towards an upward trend at Atlanta and got a good finish, looked like we had a good points day and that was taken away, so the situation has not been good. We’ve been able to help ourselves out the last couple of weeks, but we know that we are definitely in a really big hole in points, and we are focused on performing every single stage, and every week, and getting a good finish. But we need to perform in every stage to capitalize on getting as many points back as we can. Making the Playoffs is a big deal, and we are certainly focused on that.”
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