NASCAR Cup Series veteran Christopher Bell says that this weekend’s race at San Diego’s Naval Base Coronado will be a challenge, given his recent injury suffered at Michigan International Speedway.
NASCAR Cup Series driver Christopher Bell suffered a fractured left wrist in a 63-G crash at Michigan International Speedway just two weeks ago. Despite the fracture, Bell received medical clearance to compete at Pocono last weekend and chose to climb behind the wheel to maintain his spot in points.
With the NASCAR Cup Series taking on a new street course in San Diego this weekend, Bell recently shared the latest update on his recovery and explained how he is feeling ahead of the weekend, acknowledging it will be a difficult one.
Speaking on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio earlier this week, Bell said that his team of doctors and specialists is ensuring that he has everything he needs to perform at the highest level. For example, at the moment, the plan is to replace his cast weekly as part of an ongoing recovery protocol.
Bell explained that his medical team believes the cast must be adjusted as the swelling subsides or when changes come through. After competing at Pocono, the cast loosened up and fatigued, prompting him to get another one this week.
The replacement cast has restored the support needed to keep his wrist in position, while his team continues working with him to ensure he can grip the steering wheel as effectively as possible.
Meanwhile, with the San Diego street course expected to demand constant steering input through both left and right turns, along with repeated shifting using his right hand, Bell admitted the weekend awaiting him will be a challenge.
“This [San Diego] is gonna be a challenge for me, for sure. Any time that I have to use my left hand to hold the wheel, and certainly turning while shifting is going to be the hardest part. And then road courses just have a lot more wheel movement than a track like Pocono. Going to San Diego, where I’m going to have to be turning with my left hand and shifting with my right hand off the steering wheel, it’s going to be difficult and I won’t know how I feel in the car until we get there and do practice.” — Christopher Bell
Bell also stated that simulator sessions have given him a rough idea of what to expect, but pointed out that no simulator can fully replicate the effort required to turn the car or the way bumps in the racing surface are transmitted through the steering wheel to the driver’s hands. As a result, he said those unanswered questions will only be settled on Friday when he finally gets on track.
Bell enters this weekend’s race at San Diego with an average finish of 12.9 across 34 Cup Series starts on road and street courses. During that span, he has recorded 13 top-fives, 19 top-tens, and claimed three road course wins, the most recent of which came at Circuit of The Americas last season.
This time, however, not only will San Diego present the Cup Series’ garage with a laundry list of unknowns, but Bell will also take on the challenge with a fractured wrist, adding another obstacle to an already demanding weekend.
As of press time, it seems the plan is to keep Bell in the car for the entire race, though JGR has 18-year-old NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series rookie Brent Crews on standby should Bell need to exit the car.
If that were to happen, this would technically serve as Crews’ NASCAR debut, though he would not receive any statistical credit, as Bell, who started the race, would score all the team’s points and stats.
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