Christopher Bell finished seventh in Wednesday night’s UNOH 200 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway won by his boss Kyle Busch. Bell started second, finished inside the top 10 in all three stages and increased his lead in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series regular season standings to 42 points over reigning champion Johnny Sauter.
Date: Aug. 16, 2017
Event: UNOH 200 (Race 14 of 23)
Series: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS)
Location: Bristol Motor Speedway (.533-mile oval)
Format: Three Stages; 55 laps / 55 laps / 90 laps
Start/Finish: 2nd / 7th (running, completed 203 of 203 laps)
Winner: Kyle Busch of Kyle Busch Motorsports (Toyota)
Stage One Recap:
- Bell started second alongside Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) owner-driver Kyle Busch, but lost one spot to KBM teammate Noah Gragson on the initial start of the race.
- He fell back to the fourth position on lap 40 as he communicated that his Toyota Tundra was “loose all the way through,” and ended Stage One there.
Stage Two Recap:
- When pit road opened, the 22-year-old driver brought his Tundra to the attention of his over-the-wall crew who administered a four-tire and fuel stop with both wedge and trackbar adjustments.
- Bell was scored in the sixth position when Stage Two went green on lap 64, but late in the Stage got helped up by lap traffic and lost one spot.
Final Stage Recap:
- Bell once again communicated that his Toyota was “loose all the way through” before bringing it to the attention of his crew for four fresh tires, a full tank of fuel and another trackbar adjustment.
- The No. 4 Tundra was scored in the fourth position when the Final Stage went green on lap 119. As another competitor tried to make a pass, the competitor got loose and slid up the track making contact with Bell and forcing him into the marbles as four trucks worked their way past.
- The Oklahoma native was running eighth when a caution slowed the field for the fifth and final time on lap 195. Bell came down pit road for his final set of Goodyear tires and returned to the track scored in the ninth position for the start of NASCAR overtime.
- He was able to advance two positions over the final two laps and picked up his 13th top-10 finish this season.
UNOH 200 Recap:
- Busch collected his third Truck Series win of 2017 and the 49th of his career. Matt Crafton finished 0.962 seconds behind Busch in the runner-up position. John Hunter Nemechek finished third, while Grant Enfinger and Ben Rhodes rounded out the top-five finishers.
- The race featured five cautions for a total of 31 laps. There were six lead changes among four drivers. Bell did not lead a lap, but still leads the Truck Series with 521 laps led on the season.
How Bell’s KBM Teammates Fared:
- Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 46 Toyota, finished first
- Noah Gragson, driver of the No. 18 Toyota, finished 15th
- Harrison Burton, driver of the No. 51 Toyota, finished 18th
NCWTS Driver Championship Standings:
Bell leaves the 14th race of the season leading the Truck Series championship standings by 42 points over reigning champion Jonny Sauter. The Oklahoma native has earned 24 playoff points this season.
Next Race:
Bell will be behind the wheel of the No. 4 Toyota Tundra when the Truck Series resumes action on Sept. 3 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Bowmanville, Ontario. Live coverage of the Truck Series only road course event of the season begins with the NCWTS Setup Show at 2 p.m. ET on FS1.
