No. 20 Rheem Toyota News and Notes
- Back to Daytona: Coming off an impressive 2017 campaign that saw Christopher Bell capture his first-career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November, as well as his first-career NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) win at Kansas Speedway in October, Bell and the new-look No. 20 Rheem Manufacturing team returns to Daytona International Speedway (DIS) this weekend for the PowerShares QQQ 300 to kick off the 2018 season. This weekend will mark the beginning of Bell’s first full-time season at JGR after making eight NXS starts with the championship-winning organization last year with one win, three top-five and five top-10 finishes to his credit.
- New Look, New Partner: Bell will have a new look on his Toyota Camry when he hits the track on Friday at DIS with long-time NASCAR partner Rheem Manufacturing joining the JGR partner line up in 2018. The Rheem and Ruud brands will represent the company’s family of quality brands on NASCAR race tracks in 2018 as Rheem kicks off its second decade of racing with two new paint schemes. The new designs are intended to say ‘thanks to NASCAR fans for allowing us to support the sport you love’ as well as promising that ‘Rheem is taking leading and winning to a whole new level.’
- New Leader: Bell will also have a new voice in his ear when he hits the track at DIS this weekend as veteran crew chief Jason Ratcliff joins the No. 20 NXS team this season after a successful six-year run on top on the No. 20 pit box in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series for JGR. Ratcliff is no stranger to success in the NXS, having put together one of the most impressive three-year runs at JGR during the 2009-2011 season. During this time, the No. 18 team won two-consecutive NXS Owner’s Championships in 2009 and 2010, narrowly missing out on a third-consecutive title in 2011, finishing just a few points out in second. Also during that three-year span, JGR’s No. 18 NXS team won an incredible 30 races, with 68 top-five, and 85 top-10 finishes. In addition, they led an astonishing 6,124 laps.
- Joe Gibbs Racing at Daytona: JGR has 82 Xfinity Series starts at DIS and has earned four wins, 19 top-five and 31 top-10 finishes. The championship-winning organization has won seven poles with an average start of 10.5 an average finish of 17.2.
- RACE INFO: The PowerShares QQQ 300 at DIS begins at 2:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, February 17, 2018. The race will be broadcast live on Fox Sports One, Sirius XM 90, and MRN Radio.
Bell’s Career NASCAR Xfinity Series Stats at Daytona International Speedway
- Starts - 0
- Wins - 0
- Top 5 - 0
- Top 10 - 0
- Poles - 0
- Laps Led - 0
- Avg. Start - 0
- Avg. Finish - 0
Bell’s 2017 NASCAR Xfinity Series Season Stats
- Starts - 8
- Wins - 1
- Top 5 - 3
- Top 10 - 5
- Poles - 1
- Laps Led - 156
- Avg. Start - 6.1
- Avg. Finish - 11.5
Bell’s Career NASCAR Xfinity Series Stats
- Starts - 8
- Wins - 1
- Top 5 - 3
- Top 10 - 5
- Poles - 1
- Laps Led - 156
- Avg. Start - 6.1
- Avg. Finish - 11.5
From the Cockpit
Christopher Bell: “I’m looking forward to Daytona and getting behind the wheel of my new look Rheem Camry this weekend in the Xfinity Series. Running full time in the Xfinity Series has been a dream come true for me, and I can’t thank everyone enough who has helped me get to this point in my career. Daytona is so different from any track we visit throughout the season. Having a good qualifying effort is key as you want to start up front, stay up front and hopefully stay out of the big one. I’m looking forward to hitting the track on Saturday and getting our 2018 season off to a good start.”
Founded in 1925, Rheem is the only manufacturer in the world that produces heating, cooling, water heating, pool/spa heating and commercial refrigeration products. Rheem is headquartered in Atlanta, and it has an international presence in 14 countries. The company’s premium brands include Rheem, Raypak, Ruud, Eemax, Richmond, Aquamax, Solahart and Splendid, as well as commercial refrigeration brands Russell, Witt, ColdZone and Kramer, which are part of the company’s Heat Transfer Products Group (HTPG) division. To learn more, visit www.Rheem.com.
