During the first caution of Sunday’s NASCAR Cup race at Naval Base Coronado in San Diego, Christopher Bell climbed out of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.
The yellow came about 13 laps into the event, for the stalled No. 47 of Ricky Stenhouse Jr. on track. Bell was running 14th as he had yet to pit before climbing out of the car. He then climbed atop the pit box and put on a team radio.
Still dealing with a fractured wrist from a 63G crash at Michigan two weeks ago, Bell was unable to complete the grueling street course race.
NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series regular Brent Crews will finish the race for Bell, but since Bell started the race, he will be the one who gets credit for all points scored, and the final race result.
Crews is just 18 years old, and while a very capable road racer, he has never raced a NASCAR Cup car before. He did run a few practice laps in the No. 20 JGR Toyota on Friday, preparing for this. He also earned pole position for the O’Reilly race on Saturday, leading eleven laps before a mid-race wreck left him with a 31st-place finish.
Crews joins Austin Hill and Jimmie Johnson as the only drivers in the Cup field who were permitted to take part in the lower division races this weekend, but again, the teenager won’t actually get any credit for his appearance in Sunday’s Cup race as a relief driver.
The JGR team needed to make a few adjustments to the No. 20 before Crews could take over from Bell, extending the pedals and replacing the steering wheel.
Bell entered this race tenth in the championship standings, 70 points above the Chase cut-line. He ran the full race at Pocono last weekend, but finished 26th after leading 18 laps and running out of fuel late. He qualified 37th in the 39-car field at San Diego this weekend, almost nine full seconds off Shane van Gisbergen’s pole speed.
UPDATE: Unfortunately, the engine let go 30 laps into the race, and the No. 20 piloted by Crews was unable to finish the race. That means Bell will be credited with a 39th-place finish and just one point.
Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Photo by: David J. Griffin – Icon Sportswire – Getty Images
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