Pit Stop Radio News

No. 20 Rheem/PSC Industries – Johns Manville Toyota Camry TRD News and Notes:

• INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY ROAD COURSE: The NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) will make their third start on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend. Last year, Bell qualified fourth and won stage two. He led the race for 17 laps but blew a right front tire with six laps to go. The team was able to fix the car on pit road and stay on the lead lap. Bell survived multiple cautions and a NASCAR overtime finish to cross the finish line 12^th. In 2021, Bell qualified 17^th and was running 11^th in the final stage when he was collected in a multi-car accident.
• HISTORY AT MIS: Bell has two NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) starts at MIS. In 2017, Bell started seventh after qualifying was rained out and despite spinning out twice, rebounded to complete all 91 laps in the rain-shortened race to finish 11^th. In 2018, Bell narrowly missed starting on the pole and won stage two, but a miscommunication on when to pit in the final stage put him on a different strategy that didn’t work out since a caution never came as the race wound down, resulting in a 13^th-place finish.
• RHEEM GUESTS AT INDY: Rheem is hosting 80 guests this weekend at Indianapolis. There are guests on-site from PSC / Johns Mansville, Water Heater Division (Barry, Winthrop, Hajoca/Hughes), Tankless Water Heater Division, and Raypak.
• MICHIGAN RECAP: Bell qualified on the pole at Michigan and was strong over stage one, he continued to be fast in stage two before the car got away from him going for the lead. He pitted for repairs and shortly after rain came and postponed the race until Monday. On Monday the team was able to fix the No. 20 Rheem Toyota Camry up and keep Bell competitive and on the lead lap to earn a 13^th-place finish.

• JGR AT INDIANAPOLIS: Joe Gibbs Racing placed three teams in the top 15 last year at Indianapolis. Despite not cracking the top 10 yet, the organization has combined to lead 44 laps across the two trips to the Indy Road Course. Prior to the move to the road course, JGR notched five victories on Indianapolis’ historic 2.5-mile oval.
• RACE INFO: The Verizon 200 at the Brickyard begins at 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, August 23, 2023. The race will be broadcast live on NBC and Sirius XM 90.

From the Cockpit:

Christopher Bell: “Indy is one of the marque venues on our schedule. To be able to kiss the bricks would be a dream come true.” 

Bell’s Career NASCAR Cup Series Stats at Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course:

Bell’s 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Season Stats:

Bell’s Career NASCAR Cup Series Season Stats:

Joe Gibbs Racing PR