RACE: Bank of America ROVAL 400
TRACK: Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL
START: 33rd
FINISH: 24th
LAPS: 109 laps

Despite Having a Strong Rheem Camry, Bell Finishes 24th at Charlotte ROVAL

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-25)

• Christopher Bell started 33rd Sunday afternoon on the ROVAL at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The field started on rain tires due to the wet track surface following a weekend full of rain in the Charlotte area.
• Bell wasted no maneuvering his way through the field and was up to 12th by the competition caution 10 laps into stage one.
• The team opted not to pit during the caution and came in under green on lap 19 to change to slick tires, add fuel and make a track bar adjustment.
• Bell drove his way to second to close out stage one at the ROVAL.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 29-50)

• Bell started first and finished fourth in stage two.
• Bell led the field to the green to start stage two at the ROVAL. He settled into second and lost rear grip on lap 35 and spun. Luckily there was no damage to the No. 95 Rheem Toyota Camry and he was able to continue on.
• While running 10th on lap 45 Bell came down pit road for four tires and fuel.
• At the end of stage two Bell had raced his way up to fourth and told his team he wished he had a little more rear grip.
• Crew chief Jason Ratcliff stuck with their pit strategy plan and did not pit at the end of the stage.

Stage 3 Recap (Laps 54-109)

• Bell started stage three first and crossed the finish line 24th.
• Bell once again led the field to the green to start the final stage before settling into second and telling his team “I’m decent, just not good enough to pass, need more rear grip.”
• On lap 71 Bell came down pit road for four tires and fuel, and immediately went into fuel conservation mode to guarantee they could make it to the end.
• Bell restarted 20th and by lap 81 was back running inside the top 10.
• As the race winded down the No. 95 continued to lack grip on restarts. A caution late in the race gave the team an opportunity to pit for tires and fuel to make it to the end.
• Bell restarted 24th with 10 laps to go and for the first time all race could not make up ground on the track, crossing the finish line 24th in his No. 95 Rheem Toyota Camry.

Up Next:The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Kansas Speedway for the Hollywood Casino 400 on Sunday, October 18th at 2:30pm ET on NBC.