{"id":23615,"date":"2019-02-23T17:59:52","date_gmt":"2019-02-23T23:59:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/?p=23615"},"modified":"2019-02-23T18:05:59","modified_gmt":"2019-02-24T00:05:59","slug":"christopher-bell-crushes-the-field-in-atlanta-xfinity-victory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2019\/02\/23\/christopher-bell-crushes-the-field-in-atlanta-xfinity-victory\/","title":{"rendered":"Christopher Bell crushes the field in Atlanta Xfinity victory"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Christopher Bell, driver of the #20 Rheem Toyota, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series Rinnai 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on February 23, 2019 in Hampton, Georgia. (Photo by Chris Graythen\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service<\/em><\/p>\n

HAMPTON, Ga. \u2013 To hear Christopher Bell<\/strong> describe his race in Victory Lane, you\u2019d never know that he had just won it.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Christopher Bell, driver of the #20 Rheem Toyota, takes the checkered flag to win the NASCAR Xfinity Series Rinnai 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on February 23, 2019 in Hampton, Georgia. (Photo by Sean Gardner\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cI felt pretty sloppy there as a driver sometimes,\u201d Bell said after leading 143 of 163 laps in winning Saturday\u2019s Rinnai 250 NASCAR Xfinity Series<\/a> race at Atlanta Motor Speedway<\/strong>. \u201cRunning the yellow line (at the bottom of the track) is so hard.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know, I would just struggle on the longer runs there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Struggling, of course, is a relative thing. After the only caution for a racing incident slowed the field on Lap 156, Bell held off Cole Custer by .191 seconds in a three-lap dash for the finish. The victory\u2014including a sweep of all three stages\u2014was Bell\u2019s first of the season, his first at Atlanta and the ninth of his career.<\/p>\n

Bell also baptized the new Toyota Supra with its first win in NASCAR competition, as Toyota picked up its 150th<\/sup> victory in the Xfinity Series.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Christopher Bell, driver of the #20 Rheem Toyota, celebrates with a burnout after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series Rinnai 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on February 23, 2019 in Hampton, Georgia. (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

After rain washed out qualifying, Bell started third in the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota according to 2018 owner points, grabbed the lead on the first lap and held it for the entire first stage. That set the tone for the entire race. The 24-year-old Oklahoma driver surrendered the top spot only under caution on pit road or during the one cycle of green-flag pit stops late in the race.<\/p>\n

Custer surged from fifth to second after the final restart on Lap 161, but Bell managed to keep the No. 00 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford behind him.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe took the air away from us (on the final lap),\u201d Custer said. \u201cI thought I was going to have a run going down the backstretch. We just have to build on that\u2014we\u2019ll be a threat all year.\u201d<\/p>\n

In fact, with Justin Allgaier finishing third, the Xfinity Series returned to form after a scramble at Daytona that saw Michael Annett pick up his first victory. Bell, Custer and Allgaier are three drivers expected to contend for the series championship.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Christopher Bell, driver of the #20 Rheem Toyota, celebrates after winning by placing the Winner’s Sticker on his car following the NASCAR Xfinity Series Rinnai 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on February 23, 2019 in Hampton, Georgia. (Photo by Chris Graythen\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

Starting third in the preferred bottom lane, Allgaier thought he had a chance for the win, but Custer slipped past him on the restart lap.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were just a little tight today,\u201d Allgaier said. \u201cAll day long we didn\u2019t get the balance exactly where we wanted it, but the guys did a fantastic job. We had great pit stops. That last run, we got the inside, and I thought we were going to be OK.<\/p>\n

\u201cI chose to go to the middle, thinking I could get the run on the back and let Cole by me, but still, a great race. Hats off to C. Bell. He had the best car all day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brandon Jones overcame a pit road penalty to finish fourth, with reigning series champion Tyler Reddick coming home fifth and Jeffrey Earnhardt sixth, a career best.<\/p>\n

Earnhardt restarted next to Bell on Lap 161, but the slick top lane was at a clear disadvantage.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Christopher Bell, driver of the #20 Rheem Toyota, leads the field during the NASCAR Xfinity Series Rinnai 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on February 23, 2019 in Hampton, Georgia. (Photo by Chris Graythen\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cIt was really hard on the outside lane,\u201d Earnhardt said. \u201cBut the Toyota Supra was super-fast today. They (JGR) put me in a heck of a car. We came up short on the win. We showed we belong here, and we\u2019re going to run up front the rest of the races.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reddick had cut Bell\u2019s two-second lead to less than .300 seconds before the final caution.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt made for a good finish, that\u2019s for sure,\u201d Bell said. \u201cMan, the 2 (Reddick) and the 00 (Custer) really both of them were pretty good on the long runs. Our Supra was really good.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like the last five or 10 laps, I died. Very thankful there to get the yellow and put some tires on it, but it would have been fun to race it out with Tyler there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Media Center Interviews:<\/h3>\n

Christopher Bell and crew chief Jason Ratcliff – <\/p>\nhttp:\/\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/AMS_NXS_Bell_Ratcliff_022319.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

 <\/p>\n

NASCAR Xfinity Series Race – 28th Annual Rinnai 250<\/strong><\/p>\n

Atlanta Motor Speedway<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hampton, Georgia<\/strong><\/p>\n

Saturday, February 23, 2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

               1. (3)  Christopher Bell, Toyota, 163.<\/p>\n

               2. (1)  Cole Custer, Ford, 163.<\/p>\n

               3. (7)  Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 163.<\/p>\n

               4. (9)  Brandon Jones, Toyota, 163.<\/p>\n

               5. (12)  Tyler Reddick, Chevrolet, 163.<\/p>\n

               6. (8)  Jeffrey Earnhardt, Toyota, 163.<\/p>\n

               7. (6)  Ryan Preece(i), Chevrolet, 163.<\/p>\n

               8. (13)  Justin Haley #, Chevrolet, 163.<\/p>\n

               9. (4)  Noah Gragson #, Chevrolet, 163.<\/p>\n

               10. (5)  Austin Cindric, Ford, 163.<\/p>\n

               11. (18)  Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 163.<\/p>\n

               12. (16)  Michael Annett, Chevrolet, 163.<\/p>\n

               13. (11)  Brandon Brown #, Chevrolet, 163.<\/p>\n

               14. (15)  Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 163.<\/p>\n

               15. (28)  Chase Briscoe #, Ford, 162.<\/p>\n

               16. (35)  Gray Gaulding, Chevrolet, 162.<\/p>\n

               17. (22)  Garrett Smithley, Chevrolet, 162.<\/p>\n

               18. (17)  Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 162.<\/p>\n

               19. (23)  Alex Labbe, Chevrolet, 162.<\/p>\n

               20. (10)  John Hunter Nemechek #, Chevrolet, 162.<\/p>\n

               21. (19)  Josh Williams, Chevrolet, 161.<\/p>\n

               22. (21)  Bayley Currey(i), Chevrolet, 159.<\/p>\n

               23. (20)  Ray Black II, Chevrolet, 159.<\/p>\n

               24. (29)  BJ McLeod, Chevrolet, 159.<\/p>\n

               25. (30)  Stephen Leicht, Chevrolet, 159.<\/p>\n

               26. (2)  Chad Finchum, Toyota, 158.<\/p>\n

               27. (27)  David Starr, Chevrolet, 158.<\/p>\n

               28. (33)  Timmy Hill, Toyota, 157.<\/p>\n

               29. (32)  Joey Gase, Toyota, 156.<\/p>\n

               30. (25)  Matt Mills, Chevrolet, 154.<\/p>\n

               31. (24)  Tommy Joe Martins, Toyota, 152.<\/p>\n

               32. (14)  Vinnie Miller, Chevrolet, Transmission, 94.<\/p>\n

               33. (36)  Mike Harmon, Chevrolet, Electrical, 90.<\/p>\n

               34. (26)  Josh Bilicki, Chevrolet, Ignition, 87.<\/p>\n

               35. (37)  Morgan Shepherd, Chevrolet, Brakes, 45.<\/p>\n

               36. (31)  Jeff Green, Chevrolet, Vibration, 42.<\/p>\n

               37. (34)  John Jackson, Toyota, Suspension, 14.<\/p>\n

Average Speed of Race Winner:  139.456 mph.<\/p>\n

Time of Race:  1 Hrs, 48 Mins, 0 Secs. Margin of Victory:  0.191 Seconds.<\/p>\n

Caution Flags:  3 for 16 laps.<\/p>\n

Lead Changes:  11 among 5 drivers.<\/p>\n

Lap Leaders:   C. Custer 0;C. Bell 1-42;C. Custer 43;C. Bell 44-82;C. Custer 83;T. Reddick 84-91;C. Bell 92-122;B. Jones 123;N. Gragson # 124-132;C. Bell 133-156;T. Reddick 157;C. Bell 158-163.<\/p>\n

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  Christopher Bell 5 times for 142 laps; Noah Gragson # 1 time for 9 laps; Tyler Reddick 2 times for 9 laps; Cole Custer 2 times for 2 laps; Brandon Jones 1 time for 1 lap.<\/p>\n

Stage #1 Top Ten: 20,00,7,2,19,23,18,22,8,98<\/p>\n

Stage #2 Top Ten: 20,00,2,19,18,22,1,98,8,23<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service HAMPTON, Ga. \u2013 To hear Christopher Bell describe his race in Victory Lane, you\u2019d never know that he had just won it. \u201cI felt pretty sloppy there as a driver sometimes,\u201d Bell said after leading 143 of 163 laps in winning Saturday\u2019s Rinnai 250 NASCAR Xfinity Series race […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":676,"featured_media":23621,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[11],"tags":[52,451,16,181],"class_list":["post-23615","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nascar","tag-atlanta-motor-speedway","tag-christopher-bell","tag-nascar","tag-nascar-xfinity-series"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/NXS_AMS_Bell_VL_022319-e1550965866827.jpg?fit=640%2C427","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7hzTZ-68T","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23615","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/676"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23615"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23615\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23625,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23615\/revisions\/23625"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23621"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23615"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23615"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23615"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}