Lonnie Wheatley, NORMAN, Okla. (October 1, 2014) – Some strong momentum is likely what his rivals weren’t necessarily hoping for going into Gold Crown Midget Nationals weekend.
But, that’s exactly what Christopher Bell got with a pair of World of Outlaws top five finishes this past weekend including a runner-up finish at Indiana’s Bloomington Speedway on Friday night and then a strong fourth place run in Saturday night’s series debut at Michigan’s Berlin Raceway.
This week, the 19-year-old from Norman, OK, defends his Gold Crown Midget Nationals title in the Kunz Motorsports Toyota No. 71 at Tri-City Speedway in Granite City, IL, beginning Thursday night with some double-duty in store for Friday and Saturday as he will also wheel the Fox Brothers No. 53 in MOWA winged 410-ci Sprint Car competition.
“It was one of the best we’ve had in a while, we were needing that,” Bell said of this past weekend’s World of Outlaws double in the Fox Brothers machine.
After winning heat races on both nights, Bell started both features from the front row. Bell settled for second at Bloomington after a spirited duel with Donny Schatz and then was fourth in the series’ maiden outing at Berlin.
“We made some changes to the car and it was really good, the car was great all weekend,” Bell said of the No. 53 machine.
While qualifying efforts had hindered recent tries in World of Outlaws action, that wasn’t the case this past weekend with Bell timing in eighth at Bloomington and sixth at Berlin.
“Qualifying is everything, you have to qualify well to give yourself a chance,” Bell said.
Bell took full advantage both nights with the end results pushing his season total to 47 overall top-fives.
“It was pretty cool to be successful on two totally opposite racetracks,” Bell says. “Bloomington is small and had a big cushion while Berlin is bigger and was as slick as anything I’ve been on in a while.”
With a pair of successful WoO runs in the books, Bell turns his attention back to the USAC Midget ranks with this weekend’s Gold Crown Nationals while also wheeling the No. 53 Sprint Car for another pair of nights.
Bell took the $10,000 winner’s share in last year’s Gold Crown Nationals at Tri-City Speedway and looks to recapture the big check along with adding to his season win total of 20 triumphs.
“We’re gonna try to get the repeat,” Bell says. “It’s a big race and the pay is good, it’s definitely one we’d like to get.”
2014 Quick Stats: 89 races, 20 wins, 47 top-fives, 59 top-tens.
Next Up:
Thursday, Tri-City Speedway (Granite City, IL) – Kunz No. 71 Midget (USAC)
Friday, Tri-City Speedway (Granite City, IL) – Kunz No. 71 Midget (USAC) and Fox Brothers No. 53 410-ci winged Sprint Car (MOWA)
Saturday, Tri-City Speedway (Granite City, IL) – Kunz No. 71 Midget (USAC) and Fox Brothers No. 53 410-ci winged Sprint Car (MOWA)
Keep Track: Keep track of Christopher Bell’s on-track action including schedule and results at http://www.christopherbellracing.com/.
If you would like to keep up with all of Christopher Bell’s racing action by having press releases e-mailed directly to you, simply send your e-mail address to Lonnie Wheatley at lonniewheatley@gmail.com.
Penning the recurring series of “The Wheatley Chronicles” articles on racinboys.com, Lonnie Wheatley provides media, public relations and more for select tracks, drivers and events. For more information, Wheatley may be contacted at lonniewheatley@gmail.com.