{"id":57237,"date":"2026-04-10T22:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-11T03:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/?p=57237"},"modified":"2026-04-12T21:35:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T02:35:08","slug":"late-charge-puts-christopher-bell-in-victory-lane-at-bristol","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/10\/late-charge-puts-christopher-bell-in-victory-lane-at-bristol\/","title":{"rendered":"Late charge puts Christopher Bell in Victory Lane at Bristol"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"

BRISTOL, TENNESSEE – APRIL 10: Christopher Bell, driver of the #62 Halmar Infrastructure Development Toyota, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Tennessee Army National Guard 250 at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 10, 2026 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Chris Graythen\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

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

BRISTOL, Tenn.\u2014Full-time NASCAR Cup Series driver Christopher Bell was thrilled to have an opportunity to drive the No.  62 Halmar Friesen Toyota in Friday night\u2019s Tennessee Army National Guard 250 at Bristol Motor Speedway.<\/p>\n

\"\"

BRISTOL, TENNESSEE – APRIL 10: Christopher Bell, driver of the #62 Halmar Infrastructure Development Toyota, takes the checkered flag to win the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Tennessee Army National Guard 250 at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 10, 2026 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

After crossing the finish line first, he had reason to be positively elated.<\/p>\n

Corey Heim, on the other hand, had 350,000 reasons to be disappointed, after his dream of completing the Triple Truck Challenge \u2014 and earning a $350,000 bonus \u2014 ended prematurely against the Turn 1 wall.<\/p>\n

Bell grabbed the lead from Christian Eckes on Lap 188 of 250 and held it the rest of the way, with Chandler Smith moving into second after a subsequent restart on Lap 224 and chasing Bell to the checkered flag.<\/p>\n

Finishing 0.330 seconds ahead of Smith\u2019s No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford, Bell scored his first NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series victory since 2017, his first the 0.533-mile short track and the eighth of his career.<\/p>\n

\"\"

BRISTOL, TENNESSEE – APRIL 10: Christopher Bell, driver of the #62 Halmar Infrastructure Development Toyota, celebrates with a burnout after winning the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Tennessee Army National Guard 250 at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 10, 2026 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

Bell was enlisted to substitute for injured Stewart Friesen in last year\u2019s Truck Series race at Watkins Glen. On Friday night, he raced as Friesen\u2019s teammate and finished three positions better than he had at the Upstate New York road course.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, man, that was just so awesome to win a truck race,\u201d Bell said. \u201cIt\u2019s been since 2017 that I\u2019ve won one of these things. It\u2019s a lot of fun racing with this group. I got the unfortunate call last year to drive for Stewart when he was hurt, went up to Watkins Glen and almost got it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ve been working really hard to get to Victory Lane. Just so special for me to be able to race with these guys. These wins, they mean a lot to this team, this organization.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"

BRISTOL, TENNESSEE – APRIL 10: Christian Eckes, driver of the #91 Columbia Bank Chevrolet, and Corey Heim, driver of the #1 Celsius Toyota, race during the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Tennessee Army National Guard 250 at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 10, 2026 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

The most recent Cup Series winner at Thunder Valley, Bell will race Sunday in the Food City 500 (3 p.m. ET on FS1, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).<\/p>\n

Heim\u2019s bid for an extra $350,000 ($500,000 total) for a third straight Triple Truck Challenge victory ended abruptly on Lap180, moments after he had muscled past Christian Eckes to lead his only lap of the race.<\/p>\n

Contact from Eckes\u2019 front bumper to the right rear of Heim\u2019s No. 1 TRICON Garage Toyota sent Heim spinning into the outside wall. Pole winner Kaden Honeycutt T-boned into Heim\u2019s Tundra, with the No. 34 Ford of two-time Bristol winner Layne Riggs nosing into Honeycutt\u2019s truck in a chain-reaction collision.<\/p>\n

\"\"

BRISTOL, TENNESSEE – APRIL 10: A general view of racing during the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Tennessee Army National Guard 250 at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 10, 2026 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

TRICON teammates Heim and Honeycutt exited the race under the resulting red flag. With the single lap led to his credit, Heim has now led the last 30 straight Truck Series races he has entered, but that was no consolation for losing the $350,000 bonus he would have collected for winning the race.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think he did it on purpose or anything,\u201d Heim said graciously of the contact from Eckes\u2019 Chevrolet. \u201cI think the lead was super important to win the race, just having track position and control. Then they had a mix-up on who was starting the race as far as the control truck.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had an issue with my transmission sticking into gears, and I had to pack a little bit of air. I don\u2019t think I touched him to get him out of the way. He was already free. I just packed some air and got him free. I think he was trying to get behind me and ship me, which would have been fine because I did it to him. Just misjudged it.<\/p>\n

\"\"

BRISTOL, TENNESSEE – APRIL 10: Christian Eckes, driver of the #91 Columbia Bank Chevrolet, during the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Tennessee Army National Guard 250 at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 10, 2026 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been racing him for a long time, and I don\u2019t think he would do that on purpose, so we are all good.\u201d<\/p>\n

After losing ground on the final restart, Eckes finished fifth behind Bell, Smith, Giovanni Ruggiero and Cup driver Ross Chastain. Jake Garcia, Dawson Sutton, Kyle Busch, Carson Hocevar and rookie Brenden Queen completed the top 10.<\/p>\n

The race featured nine cautions for 76 laps. Eckes led a race-high 132 laps to Bell\u2019s 63 and won the first stage. Ben Rhodes stayed out under caution on Lap 122 and claimed the Stage 2 win.<\/p>\n

Interview: Christopher Bell (No. 62 Halmar Friesen Racing Toyota) –<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Race – Tennessee Army National Guard 250<\/strong><\/p>\n

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

Bristol, Tennessee<\/strong><\/p>\n

Friday, April 10, 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    1. (15)  Christopher Bell(i), Toyota, 250.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    2. (16)  Chandler Smith, Ford, 250.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    3. (10)  Giovanni Ruggiero, Toyota, 250.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    4. (11)  Ross Chastain(i), Chevrolet, 250.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    5. (2)  Christian Eckes, Chevrolet, 250.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    6. (5)  Jake Garcia, Ford, 250.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    7. (34)  Dawson Sutton, Chevrolet, 250.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    8. (8)  Kyle Busch(i), Chevrolet, 250.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    9. (7)  Carson Hocevar(i), Chevrolet, 250.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    10. (28)  Brenden Queen #, RAM, 250.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    11. (9)  Ben Rhodes, Ford, 250.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    12. (23)  Daniel Hemric, Chevrolet, 250.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    13. (20)  Tyler Ankrum, Chevrolet, 250.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    14. (4)  Chase Briscoe(i), Toyota, 250.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    15. (14)  Justin Haley, RAM, 250.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    16. (13)  Stewart Friesen, Toyota, 250.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    17. (27)  Andres Perez De Lara, Chevrolet, 250.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    18. (36)  Daniel Suarez(i), Chevrolet, 250.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    19. (26)  Mini Tyrrell #, RAM, 250.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    20. (22)  Tanner Gray, Toyota, 250.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    21. (29)  Carson Ferguson, RAM, 250.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    22. (3)  Layne Riggs, Ford, 249.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    23. (6)  Ty Majeski, Ford, 248.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    24. (33)  Spencer Boyd, Chevrolet, 247.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    25. (25)  Kris Wright, Chevrolet, 247.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    26. (21)  Ricky Stenhouse Jr(i), Chevrolet, 247.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    27. (18)  Grant Enfinger, Chevrolet, 243.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    28. (17)  Cole Butcher #, Ford, 241.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    29. (19)  Corey LaJoie, RAM, Accident, 214.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    30. (12)  Corey Heim, Toyota, Accident, 179.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    31. (1)  Kaden Honeycutt, Toyota, Accident, 179.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    32. (30)  Luke Baldwin, Ford, Accident, 178.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    33. (35)  Timmy Hill, Toyota, Accident, 120.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    34. (24)  Tyler Reif, Chevrolet, Accident, 117.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    35. (31)  Frankie Muniz, Ford, Accident, 115.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    36. (32)  Clayton Green, Ford, Too Slow, 103.<\/p>\n

Average Speed of Race Winner:  66.644 mph.<\/p>\n

Time of Race:  1 Hrs, 59 Mins, 58 Secs. Margin of Victory:  0.330 Seconds.<\/p>\n

Caution Flags:  9 for 76 laps.<\/p>\n

Lead Changes:  7 among 6 drivers.<\/p>\n

Lap Leaders:   K. Honeycutt 1-2;C. Eckes 3-122;B. Rhodes 123-135;K. Busch(i) 136-174;C. Eckes 175-178;C. Heim 179;C. Eckes 180-187;C. Bell(i) 188-250.<\/p>\n

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  Christian Eckes 3 times for 132 laps; Christopher Bell(i) 1 time for 63 laps; Kyle Busch(i) 1 time for 39 laps; Ben Rhodes 1 time for 13 laps; Kaden Honeycutt 1 time for 2 laps; Corey Heim 1 time for 1 lap.<\/p>\n

Stage #1 Top Ten: 91,34,11,99,98,77,17,5,45,7<\/p>\n

Stage #2 Top Ten: 99,7,16,1,62,91,10,11,98,34<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service BRISTOL, Tenn.\u2014Full-time NASCAR Cup Series driver Christopher Bell was thrilled to have an opportunity to drive the No.  62 Halmar Friesen Toyota in Friday night\u2019s Tennessee Army National Guard 250 at Bristol Motor Speedway. After crossing the finish line first, he had reason to be positively elated. Corey […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":676,"featured_media":57240,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_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}},"categories":[11],"tags":[177,451,16,882],"class_list":["post-57237","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nascar","tag-bristol-motor-speedway","tag-christopher-bell","tag-nascar","tag-nascar-craftsmen-truck-series"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2270928367-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1706&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7hzTZ-eTb","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57237","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/676"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57237"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57237\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":57269,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57237\/revisions\/57269"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/57240"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57237"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57237"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57237"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}