Christopher Bell Digs In The Dirt At Texas

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Story By: NASCAR – DAYTONA BEACH, FL – With an off-week for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, points leader Christopher Bell participated in the Texas Sprint Car Nationals at Texas Motor Speedway Saturday night.

Bell raced alongside three-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion and Stewart-Haas Racing owner Tony Stewart in the Tony Stewart Texas Sprint Car Nationals.

Bell finished sixth in the B-Main, while Stewart finished fourth in the A-Main.

When asked about Bell’s talent and potential in NASCAR, the three-time champion Stewart did not shy away from praising the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series points leader. “The kid’s awesome. He can flat out wheel a race car, that’s best part about him. He’s also a lot of fun to work with and I like being around him. Even on a night where it doesn’t go so well, he’s smiling and excited for the opportunity to run for you.”

Stewart then expanded on how good Bell is at dirt-track racing, “If you went to Chili Bowl and watched him, you know why he’s such a great talent. He’s got 300-something people driving around him, including 70 of the best dirt-track racers in the country, and he didn’t just barely win, he won it big. And those kinds of wins really define you as a driver.”

Bell captured his first career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory at the dirt track that Stewart owns and operates, Eldora Speedway, in 2015.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Rookie Test At Iowa Speedway Announced
Iowa Speedway announced that it will hold a test for NASCAR Camping World Truck Series rookies next Tuesday, April 18, 2017. The test is in preparation for the Iowa 200 on June 23 (8:30 p.m. ET on FS1).

Among the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series rookies who will participate in the test are:

Austin Cindric (Brad Keselowski Racing)

  • Three NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts in 2017
  • Best career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series finish – 14th at Phoenix (fall, 2015)

Chase Briscoe (Brad Keselowski Racing)

  • Three NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts in 2017
  • Best career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series finish – third at Daytona (spring, 2017)
  • Won the 2016 ARCA Racing Series championship

Justin Haley (GMS Racing)

  • One NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start in 2017 (finished 26th at Martinsville)
  • 2016 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East champion

Todd Gilliland (Kyle Busch Motorsports)

  • NASCAR Next member
  • Three NASCAR K&N Pro Series West wins in four races in 2017

Noah Gragson (Kyle Busch Motorsports)

  • NASCAR Next member
  • Three NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts in 2017
  • Best career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series finish – fourth at Atlanta (spring, 2017)

Harrison Burton (Kyle Busch Motorsports)

  • NASCAR Next member
  • One NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start in 2017 (finished 13th at Martinsville)

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Countdown: Five Weeks
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is currently on week two of a six-week break. The series hits the track next at Kansas Speedway for the Toyota Tundra 250 on Friday, May 12 (8:30 p.m. ET on FS1).

William Byron is the defending race winner. Matt Crafton (second), Christopher Bell (fourth), Ryan Truex (sixth) and Timothy Peters (eighth) all scored top-10 finishes at Kansas last season.