Turning Left and Right: Coming off their third-consecutive win of the 2018 season last week in Iowa, Christopher Bell and the No. 20 Rheem team head to Watkins Glen International (WGI) this weekend for the Zippo 200 and their first of three road course races in the month of August. Bell will be making his first-career start at the historic road course this weekend.
Chasing History at The Glen: On Saturday, Bell will attempt to tie Sam Ard’s NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) record of four consecutive wins when the field takes the green flag on Saturday afternoon. A win would also tie Bell for the NXS Sunoco Rookie of the Year record for the most wins in a rookie season with five; tying Greg Biffle (2001), Kyle Busch (2004), Carl Edwards (2005).
Iowa Recap: Christopher Bell and his Ruud team paid a visit to Iowa Speedway on Saturday afternoon for race No. 19 of the 2018 season. After qualifying the Ruud Camry third on Saturday afternoon, Bell would go on to lead 94 laps and capture his third-consecutive victory of the 2018 season and earning Ruud their first NASCAR win. With the win, Bell became the first NXS Regular since Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 1999 to win three straight NXS races.
A July to Remember: July was a month to remember for Bell and his Rheem team. During the summer month, Bell recorded three wins, four top-five finishes and lead 204 of a possible 762 laps during the four-race stretch
Points Update: Following Iowa, Bell and his Rheem team took over the points lead, now holding a 16-point advantage heading into this weekend’s race at WGI. Bell has also accumulated 24 playoff points and currently would be the No.1 seed if the playoffs started today.
Rookie Update: Bell currently leads the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings by 134 points heading into this weekend’s race at The Glen.
Joe Gibbs Racing at The Glen: JGR has 36 NXS starts at WGI and has earned one win, 13 top-five and 18 top-10 finishes. The championship-winning organization is looking for its first pole award but has an average start of 12.0 and an average finish of 12.9.
RACE INFO: The Zippo 200 a WGI begins at 3:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, August 4, 2018. The race will be broadcast live on NBC, Sirius XM 90, and MRN Radio.
Bell’s Career NASCAR Xfinity Series Stats at Watkins Glen:
- Starts -
- Wins -
- Top 5 -
- Top 10 -
- Poles -
- Laps Led -
- Avg. Start -
- Avg. Finish -
Bell’s 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series Season Stats:
- Starts - 19
- Wins - 4
- Top 5 - 12
- Top 10 - 12
- Poles - 3
- Laps Led - 420
- Avg. Start - 9.6
- Avg. Finish - 9.8
Bell’s Career NASCAR Xfinity Series Stats:
- Starts - 27
- Wins - 5
- Top 5 - 15
- Top 10 - 17
- Poles - 4
- Laps Led - 576
- Avg. Start - 8.6
- Avg. Finish - 10.3
From the Cockpit:
Christopher Bell: “The last couple weeks have really been fun and I’m thankful to be driving these Joe Gibbs Racing Camrys. I’m really looking forward to making my first start this weekend at The Glen; my team and I have put a lot of work into these road course races and I’m excited to see where we are as a group when we hit the track on Friday. This should be a really fun weekend and hopefully we can continue to build on the momentum we have built the last few weeks.”
About Rheem (www.rheem.com)
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.
