ST: Bell’s Career Continues to ‘Blossom’ as he Rings Up Another Win

Date:               April 18, 2015

Event:             Orange Blossom 300

Series:             CARS Super Late Model Tour

Location:        Orange Country Speedway in Rougemont, N.C. (3/8-mile oval)

Start/Finish:    3^rd / 1^st (Running, completed 150 of 150 laps)

Winner:           Christopher Bell of Kyle Busch Motorsports (Toyota)

Christopher Bell didn’t make it to the stage before the start of the Orange Blossom 300 CARS Super Late Model Tour event at Orange County Speedway in Rougemont, N.C., but the talented youngster was determined to make an appearance there before he left. After starting from the rear of the 30-car field, Bell – under the guidance of team owner and spotter Kyle Busch – avoided an 11-car pile-up on lap 2 and methodically maneuvered his No. 51 ToyotaCare Camry to the front. The open-wheel standout took the lead for the first time on lap 41 and remained out front for the final 109 circuits. The 20-year-old was able to hold serve on numerous restarts in the caution-filled event and crossed the stripe over six seconds ahead of second-place finisher Bubba Pollard.

“I can’t thank all the guys on this team enough, they worked really hard the last two days and the ToyotaCare Camry was a dream machine tonight,” said Bell, who picked up his third victory of the 2015 season and fourth career Super Late Model win in just 13 starts since joining Kyle Busch Motorsports’ (KBM) driver lineup late in 2014.

The KBM Late Model team will be back in action this Thursday, April 23, for the Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown at South Boston (Va.) Speedway. 16-year-old Kaz Grala will be behind the wheel of the No. 51 ToyotaCare Camry for the 200-lap charity Late Model race, which showcases the best Late Model racers in the region against NASCAR counterparts with event proceeds benefiting the Denny Hamlin Foundation and its on-going support of Cystic Fibrosis research and treatment.

Christopher Bell and the KBM Super Late Model Program would like to thank the following partners for their support during the Orange Blossom 300:

Notable wins for the KBM Late Model team since its inception in 2007 include: Wisconsin All-Star 100 at the Milwaukee Mile (Kyle Busch 2008), Red Bud 300 at Anderson Speedway (Kyle Busch 2009), Winchester 400 at Winchester Speedway (Kyle Busch 2009 and Erik Jones 2013 & 2014), Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway (Kyle Busch 2009 and Erik Jones 2013), SpeedFest at Lanier National Speedway (Kyle Busch 2009 & 2010), SpeedFest at Watermelon Capital Speedway (Kyle Busch 2012), Rowdy 251 at Berlin Raceway (Kyle Busch 2010, 2011 & 2012), All-American 400 at Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville (TJ Reaid 2010), Slinger Nationals at Slinger Super Speedway (Kyle Busch 2011), the Oxford 250 at Oxford Plains Speedway (Kyle Busch 2011), Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown at Richmond International Raceway (Kyle Busch 2013), the Howie Lettow Memorial at the Milwaukee Mile (Kyle Busch 2013 and Erik Jones 2014) and the Rattler 250 at South Alabama Speedway (Christopher Bell 2015).

-KBM-