Bell dominant in latest Xfinity win
LOUDON, N.H. — Christopher Bell moved into a tie for the lead in NASCAR Xfinity Series victories this season, dominating in hot conditions Saturday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway for his fifth win of 2019.
Bell led 186 of the 200 laps in the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 Toyota — losing the lead only when he pitted on the 33rd lap — and finished more than four seconds ahead of second-place
Cole Custer, who won last weekend at Kentucky Speedway for his fifth victory of the season.
Saturday’s win was Bell’s 13th as an Xfinity Series driver. He also has seven career wins on the third-tier Truck Series.
“The race cars win the races. The drivers just kind of are along for the ride,” Bell said, giving credit to crew chief Jason Ratcliff. “Jason keeps giving me great race cars. That’s what the key is.”
As happy as Ratcliff was to see the 24-year-old driver remain humble, he said Bell has had a lot to do with his own success.
“I’ve had a lot of good race cars but couldn’t win races in them without the right guy behind the wheel,” Ratcliff said. “He’s being patient. He’s doing a good job of executing each and every week and building on that. We’ll just see what tomorrow holds, but I think he’s got good things in store for him.”
Custer lost the lead on the first lap after starting in pole position in the Stewart-Haas Racing No. 00 Ford.
“I wasn’t driving the car right at the start of the race, so I kind of got behind on adjustments,” Custer said. “I wish we’d had another caution so we could catch up to him.”
Justin Algaier was third in a Chevrolet for JR Motorsports. Series points leader Tyler Reddick, also in a Chevy, was fourth and Paul Menard followed in a Ford.
Harrison Burton was running fifth for JGR until the 154th lap, when he got bumped from behind by Menard and spun out and struck the wall. Burton, the son of former Cup Series driver Jeff Burton, was able to get back
“The race cars win the races. The drivers just kind of are along for the ride. Jason keeps giving me great race cars. That’s what the key is.” — CHRISTOPHER BELL
on the track and finished 29th. He and Menard — a 38-year-old full-time driver on the Cup circuit — had a lengthy conversation at their cars after the race.
“He hit me twice, and I hit him once,” Menard said. “He was mad at me for hitting him that one time.”
The 18-year-old Burton didn’t think Menard’s retaliation was justified.
“We had a restart there; the first thing he said he was mad about was I hit him on the restart,” Burton said. “But I was on the apron, and he turned down across my nose. He got mad about that, and then I barely touched his door, and I got out of the gas because I didn’t want to hit him any harder than I did. Then I passed him clean and he wrecked me.”