Christopher Bell – No. 20 DEWALT Toyota Camry TRD Preview – Atlanta Motor Speedway - Speedway Digest

No. 20 DEWALT Toyota Camry TRD News and Notes:

ATLANTA BOUND: Christopher Bell heads to Atlanta Motor Speedway (AMS) to make his sixth NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) start at the 1.54-mile track this weekend.
ATLANTA 2022: One year ago, Bell started back in the field since qualifying was cancelled due to rain but worked his way forward throughout the race. While battling inside the top three Bell got pushed below the white line and was penalized post-race. Bell crossed the finish line second but due to the penalty was scored the last car on the lead lap and credited with a 23^rd-place finish. Qualifying was again rained out in the fall of 2022, which lined up Bell in the 15^th position. Bell reported the handling was a little loose over stage one. In stage two, while running inside the top 10, a wreck unfolded ahead, and Bell got into the back of another car. Luckily the damage was not severe, and he was able to continue. Despite adjustments throughout the race the loose handling returned and caused Bell to spin out on the track with 25 to go. The tire came off the car on the stop and Bell got stuck on pit road, losing a lap to the field. Under a late race caution Bell was the “lucky dog” recipient and got back on the lead lap, crossing the finish line 19^th.
ATLANTA HISTORY: In the NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) at AMS, Bell has one win, one pole, two top-five and two top-10 finishes. Bell also has one win, one top-five and one top-10 finish in two-career NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series starts at AMS.
DEWALT HOOD: DEWALT will feature McKenney’s on the lower hood of the No. 20 Toyota Camry TRD this weekend at AMS. For more information about McKenney’s, visit https://www.mckenneys.com/
DEWALT DECKLID: DEWALT will feature KipperTool on the decklid this weekend at Atlanta. For more information about KipperTool, visit https://www.kippertool.com/
PHOENIX RECAP: Bell qualified fifth at Phoenix and had a fast car throughout stage one, finishing the opening 60 lap segment third. He continued to run inside the top 10 throughout stage two. Bell started the final stage from sixth but lost some ground during a pit stop late in the race. He rebounded and survived NASCAR over-time to finish sixth at Phoenix.
JOE GIBBS RACING AT ATLANTA: Joe Gibbs Racing has earned 11 NCS victories at Atlanta. In 127 combined starts, the organization has tallied 11 wins, 41 top-five finishes, 59 top-10s and 2,865 laps led. The championship-winning organization has won six pole awards with an average start of 14.9 an average finish of 14.6.
RACE INFO: The Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway begins at 3:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 9, 2023. The race will be broadcast live on FOX, Sirius XM 90, and PRN Radio.

From the Cockpit:

Christopher Bell: “I thought there was a pretty big difference in the track from the first race to the second last year, now heading into race three on the new track surface I’m excited to see what will happen, hopefully it will age quickly. The first race there was very much a speedway race and I had more handling complaints in the second race. Atlanta is very unique now and the more that it ages it is going to continue to get more on it’s own island, it should continue to wear and lose grip.”

Bell’s Career NASCAR Cup Series Stats at Atlanta Motor Speedway: