20-Year-Old Leads 139 of 150 Laps En Route to Sixth Late Model Win of ’15
Date: Oct. 31, 2015
Event: Liberty University 300
Series: CARS Tour Super Late Models
Location: Hickory (N.C.) Motor Speedway (.363-mile oval)
Start/Finish: 3rd/1st (Running, completed 150 of 150 laps)
Winner: Christo
Returning to the track where he made his late model debut for Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) last fall, Christopher Bell dominated the Super Late Model portion of Saturday night’s Liberty 300 CARS Tour event at Hickory (N.C.) Motor Speedway. Bell started from the third position, took the lead for the first time on lap 12 and led the final 139 laps en route to his sixth Late Model win of 2015.
A caution with 10 laps remaining set up a sprint to the finish, but Bell was able to hold off a strong challenge from Kyle Grissom and crossed the stripe 0.687-seconds ahead of the CARS Super Late Model champion. Josh Berry, who won the Late Model Stock race earlierSaturday and was in line for a $40,000 bonus if he could win the Super Late Model portion, finished third. Future KBM driver William Byron came home in the fourth spot. Bell’s KBM teammate Kaz Grala was relegated to a 20th-place finish after a mid-race accident.
Bell also took part in the “Double Duty Dare,” but was sidelined by a mechanical issue 23 laps into the Late Model Stock race.
The win was Bell’s sixth in 14 starts behind the wheel of a Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) Late Model in 2015 and seventh across 21 career starts since the open-wheel dirt standout began his pavement-racing career last fall.
“The guys worked really hard and we had a really fast ToyotaCare Camry,” Bell said. “I’m very fortunate to be a part of Kyle Busch Motorsports and this was a great way to celebrate the announcement earlier in the week that I’ll be back with them full-time in trucks next season and hopefully continue running some Late Model races.”
Bell’s next Super Late Model race for KBM will be the Governor’s Cup at New Smyrna (Fla.) Speedway Sunday, Nov. 15. He returns to the No. 54 JBL Tundra for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series WinStar World Casino 250 at Texas Motor Speedway on Fridaynight.
Christopher Bell and the KBM Super Late Model Program would like to thank the following partners for their support during the Winchester 100:
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AP Brakes
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Hightower Racing Transmissions
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Renton Coil Spring
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Auto Meter
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Interstate Batteries
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Safety Kleen
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Axalta Racing
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JEGS.com
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Schroth Safety Products
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Bassett Racing Wheel
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JGR Driven Racing Oil
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Simpson Race Products
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Brown and Miller Racing Solutions
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KBM Chassis
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Sweet Manufacturing
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Coleman Racing Products
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Mechanix Wear
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Toyota
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Essex Parts
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Miller Electric
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ToyotaCare
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Five Star Race Bodies
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Quarter Master
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VDL Fuel Systems
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Hamner Racing Engines
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Racing Electronics
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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-
