NASCAR Cup rookie Christopher Bell is ready to roll the dice at the Daytona 500
Christopher Bell is coming off a successful run in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, where he won 15 races over the last two seasons. This year, Bell is making the jump to the big leagues with a shot at being a Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate.
He will race in the NASCAR Cup Series in the No. 95 Toyota for Leavine Family Racing.
Bell sat down with The Charlotte Observer to talk about preparing for his rookie season, competing against his former boss Kyle Busch and what it’s like to get married right before racing in the Daytona 500.
The Observer: What are you feeling going into your first Cup Series?
Christopher Bell: This is a very exciting time for me. It’s a whole new team for me, so I’m just trying to take in the moment, enjoy everything and make sure that I cherish my rookie season.
TO: Does it help having a familiar face in crew chief Jason Ratcliff?
CB: Yeah I think that’s great. I’m very thankful that Bob Leavine, our team owner, has taken the chance not only on myself as a young driver, but also bringing over a veteran crew chief that was outside of his organization. I worked with Jason Ratcliff for the last two seasons on the Xfinity side and now we’re able to continue our path together on the Cup side. Hopefully it’ll shorten the learning curve for me.
TO: What have some of those early conversations been like with him? What are you guys talking about going into Daytona?
CB: The biggest thing is is that Jason is a veteran crew chief. He has multiple Cup wins with veteran drivers and he’s been a crew chief in the Cup Series for rookie drivers also, so he’s a guy who’s seen it all. He’s really able to show me the ropes and get me as prepared as I can be going into my rookie season.
TO: I want to talk about about your latest race at the Chili Bowl. What does that race mean to you and the fact that, as a three-year winner, you weren’t able to clinch it this year?
CB: It’s a very important race to me because it’s in my home state of Oklahoma and it’s kind of nestled right in the middle of the off-season. All of the super stars of the sport go to the middle of Oklahoma for one week and compete against each other and it’s just a ton of fun.
TO: After winning this year’s Chili Bowl, Kyle Larson said there was “no other win that feels more special.” What’s the dynamic like between you two?
CB: We’ve come from similar racing backgrounds. He’s a little bit older than me, so he’s kind of paved the path for me. I’ve followed his footsteps up through and now we’re big competitors. It seems like we’re always racing each other.
TO: Will it be a tough adjustment going from the dirt tracks to Daytona?
CB: Yeah, it’s definitely an adjustment, but I’ve been able to able to bounce between dirt and pavement quite a bit now. But every time you get into a pavement car from a dirt car, it’s definitely a change of pace.
TO: So what are you most looking forward to going into this Series?
CB: Probably racing against the superstars of the sport. I got to drive for Kyle Busch on the Truck Series, but now I get to compete against him and he’s not my boss anymore, so I’m looking forward to giving him a run for his money.
TO: Maybe in Daytona. Is there anything you’re nervous about heading into that race?
CB: Daytona isn’t really the most difficult track to get around from a skillset standpoint, but you just never know what can happen at Daytona. We see it time and time again where there are crashes, and the leader of the race gets caught up in the moment or gets in an accident and is out of the race. Anything can happen at Daytona, and I’m really excited about getting there because I’ve got as good a shot as anybody to win, or to crash out. I’m excited to roll the dice and see what happens.
TO: Can you talk a little about your schedule leading up to it? You’ve got a wedding coming up on Super Bowl Sunday.
CB: Yeah, It’s a very important time in my life. I’m getting married in eight or nine days now, so that’s what you hope to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I’m ready to cherish that. And then, let’s get racing.
This interview was edited for brevity and clarity.
This story was originally published January 24, 2020 at 11:24 AM.
