Christopher Bell – No. 20 Rheem Toyota Camry TRD Preview – Phoenix Raceway - Speedway Digest

No. 20 Rheem Toyota Camry TRD News and Notes:

BELL AT PHOENIX RACEWAY: Christopher Bell will make his seventh NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) start at Phoenix Raceway this weekend. Bell was part of the Championship 4 in the 2022 season finale at Phoenix. Bell finished 10^th, rebounding from an incident on pit road late in the race. In the spring race at Phoenix, he qualified fourth and ran inside the top 10 throughout stage one. During stage two he spun out while battling the handling on his No. 20 Toyota Camry TRD and had to pit for tires. The team spent the rest of the race trying to get back their lost laps and improve handling.
BELL NXS AT PHOENIX: Bell’s five NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) starts at the 1.0-mile track include a must-win victory for a 2018 playoff spot and back-to-back 2019 pole starting positions.
TRUCK SERIES PAST AT PHOENIX: Bell has two previous NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series starts at Phoenix. In 2017, he qualified on the pole and finished eighth after leading over half the laps and in 2016, he started fifth and crossed the finish line seventh.
LAS VEGAS RECAP: Bell was top of the leader board in round one of qualifying but the wind picked up right when it was his turn in the final round. Bell started 10^th and his No. 20 Toyota Camry TRD was fast, racing his way to fourth to end stage one. Following a pit stop in the final stage the handling shifted to “10 out of 10 tight” and Bell dropped to 20^th. Luckily the team got the car adjusted on another stop and after a final stop for two tires Bell raced his way from 9^th to earn a fifth-place finish in NASCAR overtime at Vegas.
JGR AT PHOENIX: In 143 combined starts at Phoenix, Joe Gibbs Racing has earned seven NCS victories at Phoenix, 43 top-five finishes, 77 top-10s and 2,661 laps led. The championship-winning organization has won six pole awards with an average start of 11.7 an average finish of 12.9.
RACE INFO: The United Rentals Work United 500 at Phoenix Raceway begins at 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 12, 2023. The race will be broadcast live on FOX, Sirius XM 90, and MRN Radio.

From the Cockpit:

Christopher Bell: “I’m very excited about trying the low downforce package at the short tracks, I think it’s going to be a huge difference. Phoenix is a really smooth track and restarts are a challenge there, understanding when to cut the dog leg and when not to, and how much of an advantage it is. I’m excited to get to Phoenix and see what we’ve got.”

Bell’s Career NASCAR Cup Series Stats at Phoenix Raceway: