Bell Dominates Truck Series Race at Atlanta Motor Speedway

Christopher Bell started off Saturday by capturing his first-career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series pole award and ended it by dominating the Active Pest Control 200 at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Ga. Bell led the first 83 laps en route to winning each of the first two segments and 16 of the final 17 laps en route to his first victory of 2017 and the third of his career. With the dominant victory, Bell took over the lead in the Truck Series championship standings with two races complete.
 
Bell’s victory was the first for Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) at Atlanta. The organization, which originated in 2010, has now registered at least one victory at all 21 of the tracks on the current Camping World Truck Series schedule.
 
Stage One Recap: 
  • Bell started the 130-lap event from the pole and remained out front for all 40 laps of stage one. He crossed the stripe over two seconds ahead of KBM teammate and owner Kyle Busch.
 
Stage Two Recap: 
  • After pitting for four fresh tires and fuel, Bell restarted out front in stage two. Once again, the JBL Tundra led every lap of the stage, finishing over eight seconds ahead of Busch.
 
Final Stage Recap: 
  • Crew chief Rudy Fugle ordered up a four-tire and fuel stop with a trackbar adjustment before the start of the final stage. Busch’s No. 51 team won the race off pit road, leaving Bell in the second position when the field went back green on lap 87.
  • The JBL Tundra had trouble getting up to speed on the restart and had subsided to the seventh position just one lap later. He returned to the top five on lap 90 and was scored in the fourth spot when the sixth caution of the race occurred on lap 95.
  • The outside lane once again had problems getting up to speed on the ensuing restart and Bell fell back two spots. He was running in the fifth position when a one-truck accident slowed the field on lap 105.
  • The No. 4 Toyota came down pit road where the over-the-wall crew put on the final set of fresh tires. With Grant Enfinger electing not to pit and Austin Dillon getting only two fresh tires, Bell restarted fifth with 18 laps remaining.
  • Within one lap he had maneuvered his way into the runner-up position and he regained the lead by making his way around Matt Crafton with 17 laps remaining. Bell was cruising to the victory, three seconds ahead of Crafton, when the eighth and final caution slowed the field on lap 126.
  • The field took the green with two laps remaining. Bell was able to clear Crafton as they took the white flag and held him off for the final circuit.

KBM PR