Christopher Bell Continues Contentious Relationship with Texas Motor Speedway

By David Morgan, Associate Editor

FORT WORTH, Texas – Texas and Oklahoma have long been at odds against each other and it seems that has trickled down to the relationship between Oklahoma native Christopher Bell and Texas Motor Speedway.

Throughout Bell’s career, it either seems that it’s a top-10 day for the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota or they end up on the wrecker. In Sunday’s Wurth 400 on the 1.5-mile quad-oval, it was the latter after a crash on lap 69 of the 267-lap event.

Leading at the time in what many considered one of the strongest cars in the field, trouble broke out ahead of him coming out of Turn 4 when Todd Gilliland’s Ford spun out and began sliding down the track, forcing Bell and the other leaders to have to take evasive action.

Bell juked down the track in an attempt to avoid Gilliland’s car, but it was too late and Gilliland just clipped Bell, sending him spinning into the outside wall.

Though the car was still drivable and he was able to limp the car back to the garage, the damage was terminal and he would have to retire from the race, finishing the day credited with a last-place finish.

Christopher Bell goes to the lead in Texas and then … pic.twitter.com/qwzE2DPppA

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“It was another one of those 50-50 calls,” said Bell. “Me and Denny (Hamlin) were side by side and I saw him (Todd Gilliland) spinning and Denny lifted and I thought that I could shoot the gap on the bottom. And I thought I did shoot the gap on the bottom but I got clipped.”

After his own near miss in the crash and going on to finish the day as the runner-up, Denny Hamlin provided his perspective on the incident and how it changed the outlook of what could have been a great day for Bell.

“I hate that for Christopher. This is one of the strongest first stages I’ve seen him have all year,” said Hamlin.

“I just have always just hit the brakes and let stuff happen around me versus trying to gas and miss. But he was at the point where, and I was right there next to him, I didn’t know whether Todd was going to go up or back down and obviously just he slowed up enough when he was coming to go down the track and clip Christopher.

“So, it was a 50-50 call and just we got lucky there.”

Despite having to walk away with his worst Texas finish yet and continue a streak of not finishing in the top-10 that has run for the last four races of the season now, Bell remains optimistic that he and the team can turn things around in the weeks ahead.

“I’m really thankful to have fast cars to drive, thankful to be driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, to be able to carry the Rheem colors and thankful I get another opportunity next week. It’s going to turn around at some point.”