Christopher Bell Appreciation Thread

[Revman]

Well, just because....Super happy for this guy....and even happier for his Crew Chief! Big time happy for MY TRD and Toyota Racing friends. Lots invested in Bell, and much criticism over putting Bell in the 20 over Jones.

 

[FLRacingFan]

He’s always seemed like a super nice and humble kid, never heard a bad word about him. Very cool to see him win especially on a tough course. Before the yellows started he was the only one anywhere close to Elliott, so he’s as deserving as anyone could be.

 

[Kiante]

Bell is an example of what Toyota can do without forcing drivers up the ladder. Had a few years in Xfinity, then grew through Leavine, and now he's in the 20. Also, it helps to have Adam Stevens at the helm as well, but Bell has been great so far in the two races.

I think he ascension will take time, but I expect him to be fighting every week. Homestead will be the next great test for him to see how good he is on the intermediates.

 

[JGR_20]

Very Exciting stuff!

Bell is a great driver. Everyone should have see that by now in what he’s done to get to this level.

His team is obviously strong.

It’s just fun as hell to see it all come together like that.

I don’t want to make predictions on what he will do now all the sudden because the guy gets his first win... All that fantasy talk doesn’t mean much.

I’d prefer to just sit back and watch. Bell and this 20 team appear to have a lot of energy in the two races we have seen thus far. It would be incredible if they are able to be up front battling like that all season

In the Cup series nothing is guaranteed, so I don’t like jumping ahead and such is all I’m saying

But... WOW. What a freaking drive Bell put down yesterday. That was fun!

 

[StandOnIt]

1st Oklahoma driver to win a Cup race. That took awhile, but C.Bell is going to win more before it is all over with.

 

[StandOnIt]

 

[ChexOrWrex]

He’s always seemed like a super nice and humble kid, never heard a bad word about him. Very cool to see him win especially on a tough course. Before the yellows started he was the only one anywhere close to Elliott, so he’s as deserving as anyone could be.

Yep. Awesome to see him bide his time and get around Joey in the braking zones since Joey was having brake failure, instead of getting too anxious and taking himself and/or Joey out of contention altogether. Kept his cool like a veteran. I think he faces some steep challenges when they get to the ovals but this confidence boost is huge.

 

[Jorge De Guzman]

Sign me up for this thread. Bell’s background in dirt ,credentials and talent remind me of a guy from Indiana who drove that 20 car many moons ago.

 

[DanicaFreak]

Sign me up for this thread. Bell’s background in dirt ,credentials and talent remind me of a guy from Indiana who drove that 20 car many moons ago.

I like everything about him except what team he drives for

 

[Marcingak]

I completely forgot he raced a full season last year. Thought this year is his rookie season. Happy to see him get his first career win.

 

[DIDIT]

I been on the Bell band wagon for about 8 years when I first saw him race a sprint car at Fremont Speedway. I mentioned this before that one of his mentors was Rick Ferkle arguably one of the best sprint car drivers in the 70's and 80's. He also put Bell in his famous Kears Speed Shop #0 sprint car. To this day they remain friends and still have conversations about racing. Ferkle said he was the best driver he had ever worked with. I remember after an Xfinity win, maybe his first, he gave a shout out to Rick during his VL interview.

Now, if we can get him over to the Chevy or Ford camp all would be right in the racing world.

 

[hmmm298]

I bet when Jones first heard the news about LFR last year, thing first thing he thought was "well hell here comes Bell".

 

[JBone88]

Not a big Toyota guy. But I’ve liked Christopher Bell dating back to his sprint car days. He’s a great kid. And a hell of a driver.

It’s a shame that Erik Jones got shafted to give the guy his break, but it’s no fault of Bell. He deserves the success coming his way.

I’ve said before, he’s a young Tony Stewart. Drives the wheels off anything you give him. And adapts quickly to every medium he picks up. Future Cup champion in my eyes. Toyota might have finally found the gem they’ve been looking for.

 

[StandOnIt]

 

[Revman]

Now, if we can get him over to the Chevy or Ford camp all would be right in the racing world.

Racing world will just have to get used to not being right.

 

[ToyYoda]

Already looking like an upgrade from Erik Jones. This kid’s gonna make some noise.

 

[Revman]

Already looking like an upgrade from Erik Jones. This kid’s gonna make some noise.

I don't know....I would like to get Erik back....stay tuned. The crew chief had a lot to do with what happened Sunday.

 

[Old Kid]

I don't know....I would like to get Erik back....stay tuned. The crew chief had a lot to do with what happened Sunday.

Good coaching always helps but a coach can't drive the car.

 

[DaBiff1618]

Bell is gonna be great, but let’s remember Logano flamed out at JGR much like Erik Jones did. Then his replacement immediately won 7 races and finished 2nd in points. It seems like Joey did pretty well for himself. Unfortunately for Erik he’s not the son of an ex driver and doesn’t bring money so he’ll probably spend the rest of his career being a McDowell type and over performing in mid pack to 3rd tier equipment. Regardless, I think bell is better then Erik but Erik is a good driver. Shame he got crapped on

 

[hmmm298]

Bell is gonna be great, but let’s remember Logano flamed out at JGR much like Erik Jones did. Then his replacement immediately won 7 races and finished 2nd in points. It seems like Joey did pretty well for himself. Unfortunately for Erik he’s not the son of an ex driver and doesn’t bring money so he’ll probably spend the rest of his career being a McDowell type and over performing in mid pack to 3rd tier equipment. Regardless, I think bell is better then Erik but Erik is a good driver. Shame he got crapped on

Ever notice TRD basically spells/sounds like "turd"? Sums up my thoughts on Toyota.

 

[aunty dive]

Never noticed.

 

[StandOnIt]

Ever notice TRD basically spells/sounds like "turd"? Sums up my thoughts on Toyota.

Preacher Joe and the gang have been a source of much entertainment watching over the years Joe trying to keep a lid on that funny farm. And then you get to read this nonsense from Joe's boss I guess he calls him that..or big brother IDK

According to Wilson, a victory at the Cup level makes Bell “our first development driver that came all the way from dirt to winning at the highest level of North American motorsports, and a big part of the reason he’s there is Toyota and because of the belief we put in him. His family does not have the resources, and that’s why we invest and will continue to invest.”
It’s been a few years now since the Toyota driver development program started earning regular attention. Bell is just one of the drivers who have made it up the NASCAR ladder with its support. Erik Jones and Daniel Suarez are others, although they’ve seen moved on to other teams.

you forgot a few others who have either been booted or fled for their lives there Dave.

 

[hmmm298]

Never noticed.

off topic, that actually happens to b3e my dad's initials as well, I used to always joke and call him turd man/ Mr Turd. Probably why I noticed it.

 

[Old Kid]

Ever notice TRD basically spells/sounds like "turd"? Sums up my thoughts on Toyota.

Ever since I first saw it on Toyota vehicles that's what I think of when I see TRD. And I'm not a Toyota hater, I own one. I do think they could have come up with a better name for their racing program if just for this reason.

 

[hmmm298]

Ever since I first saw it on Toyota vehicles that's what I think of when I see TRD. And I'm not a Toyota hater, I own one. I do think they could have come up with a better name for their racing program if just for this reason.

I'm not necessarily a hater either because I respect all of the competitors, just not really a fan. In fact that goes back to even growing up in the 90's, I just never could be a Gibbs fan for some reason.

 

[StandOnIt]

I don't care much for the whole bunch. Ya can't believe much of what they say. It wasn't long ago they were saying they had millions invested in C.Bell. Now it is WE don't have millions invested but our sponsors do. Well guess who their primary sponsors are. Businesses who are subcontractors with the Toyota factory. Sponsors aren't going to say anything, IMO they need the Yota business to survive so they probably have to pay up. It's typical corpporate B.S. Wilson is blowing smoke to cover the mother ship at all costs. They have had tons of development drivers spent tons of money and now Wilson is jumping up and down because one of them won a race.


But the program has also received its fair share of criticism, such as accusations that it has too many drivers and not enough seats. That results in tough decisions about who stays and who goes. Wilson has also been questioned about the group’s ROI, and accused of spending millions of dollars on talent.
“Let me correct that; we have not spent millions on any driver,” Wilson said. “The secret to our success as much as anything else is finding the right partners. Partners like JBL audio, Exxon Mobil, Mobil 1. Partners like Safelite who are gracious enough and generous enough to support us in our driver development partner.

Bell win vindicates TRD driver development program – Wilson

Christopher Bell’s triumph last Sunday afternoon on the Daytona road course was extra special for Toyota, according to TRD president David Wilson. Bell won his first NASCAR Cup Series race in his 3…

racer.com

 

[Greg]

off topic, that actually happens to b3e my dad's initials as well, I used to always joke and call him turd man/ Mr Turd. Probably why I noticed it.

I used to work for a guy named Spurgeon. I called him Turdgin, he was a good guy and we got along good 95% of the time and he even put up with the nick name.

 

[Revman]

Good coaching always helps but a coach can't drive the car.

Truth.

 

[Revman]

Ever notice TRD basically spells/sounds like "turd"? Sums up my thoughts on Toyota.

Never ever heard of that. This is the content I come here for as they say.

 

[Revman]

I don't care much for the whole bunch.

You could have started with this, and spared us the rest of your biased BS.

 

[ChexOrWrex]

Toyota makes a solid public product for the highways and they’ve put and ton of effort and money into their racing programs. I think some of the biggest setbacks within the JGR camp is work environment. It seems like they wan’t the PR to show a family environment but the reality is that everything is viewed as a business and everyone is expendable. From an outside perspective, I think that has created some toxicity in the work place.

For instance, Belichick has the “patriot way” and everyone understands that all decisions are based on business. Win now, or you’re out. Theres usually no bad blood because this is made abundantly clear. JGR seems to parrot “family” but employees are expended or moved at will, disregarding the “family” aspect.

I think if Bell has thick skin and can take the shots, he’ll stick. Otherwise even if he performs well he’ll be another Erik Jones in a few years to make room for the actual family.

 

[DIDIT]

Ever notice TRD basically spells/sounds like "turd"? Sums up my thoughts on Toyota.

When I think of Toyota I think motocross. Sometimes I forget they make automobiles.

 

[DaBiff1618]

Bell to me has the floor of a Kasey Kahne level prospect and a ceiling of a Tony Stewart or Denny Hamlin. He has the talent of Larson but is a smarter driver and has proven to not have the choking gene. Not to mention unlike Logano, Suarez, and Erik he had the benefit of getting his lumps for a year with a satellite team before moving over to the mothership. He also has all of the tools in place to be successful. Gibbs is prioritizing him like Penske did with Blaney and putting a championship crew chief and pit crew with him. Erik and Suarez were stuck with the same team for every year. My hope is TRD will buy into RPM and either merge with Jordan’s team or just add that car to the fleet to get Erik back into the fold. That would be a smart move for the future of Toyota, with guys like Ty Gibbs, Harrison Burton, and John Hunter Nemechek in the pipeline

 

[JJ_14]

Bell is gonna win more races this year. He's a stud driver.

 

[Revman]

Toyota makes a solid public product for the highways and they’ve put and ton of effort and money into their racing programs. I think some of the biggest setbacks within the JGR camp is work environment. It seems like they wan’t the PR to show a family environment but the reality is that everything is viewed as a business and everyone is expendable. From an outside perspective, I think that has created some toxicity in the work place.

For instance, Belichick has the “patriot way” and everyone understands that all decisions are based on business. Win now, or you’re out. Theres usually no bad blood because this is made abundantly clear. JGR seems to parrot “family” but employees are expended or moved at will, disregarding the “family” aspect.

I think if Bell has thick skin and can take the shots, he’ll stick. Otherwise even if he performs well he’ll be another Erik Jones in a few years to make room for the actual family.

How do you know any of this? I mean I am all about opinions, but when those opinions suggest insight, that's when stuff gets ridiculous. I don't think that you can find any quotes from any former JGR employees can you? Maybe something from Pearn or Hughes, but those guys hated the environment because of the size, etc. before they even got there.

Are you measuring the bad blood with Belichick based on what has not been said, or do you have some Brady quotes that would validate your claims?

Coach is a freaking HOF NFL coach. What coach doesn't teach "family?" Do you think he is a dick for cutting players that have aged, etc.? How about this example....My all time hero is Reggie Jackson. He was cut loose by the Yankees. He now calls them "family." What do you understand that he doesn't?

Bell will be fine, and the last chapter has not been written for Jones. I laugh because so many always reference how Joey got screwed....but what if you had never known him because he never got a shot? You can't whine about the ones you don't know...and even if you could, who would you blame?

 

[ChexOrWrex]

How do you know any of this? I mean I am all about opinions, but when those opinions suggest insight, that's when stuff gets ridiculous. I don't think that you can find any quotes from any former JGR employees can you? Maybe something from Pearn or Hughes, but those guys hated the environment because of the size, etc. before they even got there.

Are you measuring the bad blood with Belichick based on what has not been said, or do you have some Brady quotes that would validate your claims?

Coach is a freaking HOF NFL coach. What coach doesn't teach "family?" Do you think he is a dick for cutting players that have aged, etc.? How about this example....My all time hero is Reggie Jackson. He was cut loose by the Yankees. He now calls them "family." What do you understand that he doesn't?

Bell will be fine, and the last chapter has not been written for Jones. I laugh because so many always reference how Joey got screwed....but what if you had never known him because he never got a shot? You can't whine about the ones you don't know...and even if you could, who would you blame?

First off, I don’t have any inside insight and haven’t expressed that I do. I believe I said enough “I think”s and “It seems like”s to justify that it’s an opinion based on the JGR happenings over the last few seasons where everyone is family but the sudden dismissals or biased suspensions occur. Even internal strife between teammates. “When those opinions suggest insight” is pretty ridiculous coming from a poster who imagines that they are a TRD employee. Nobody else can have a differing opinion about Toyota racing than you, everyone here has heard the same pitch.

“The Patriot Way” is infamous. Win now or hit the road. Players agree to it when they sign up and they don’t question it when they are released. Nobody has a golden parachute and everyone is the same.

On the contrary, JGR has made some similar type “win now” transactions over the years but it’s more shocking due to Joe’s “family” mantra. The team is ran similar to the Patriots with high standards for success, and rightfully so. Although Joe repeats “family” and “I work for the drivers”. The public relations statements often don’t match the decisions made behind closed doors.

That’s the only difference I was pointing out. Anything outside of that is more than likely your personal attachments getting in the way.

 

[Revman]

First off, I don’t have any inside insight and haven’t expressed that I do. I believe I said enough “I think”s and “It seems like”s to justify that it’s an opinion based on the JGR happenings over the last few seasons where everyone is family but the sudden dismissals or biased suspensions occur. Even internal strife between teammates. “When those opinions suggest insight” is pretty ridiculous coming from a poster who imagines that they are a TRD employee. Nobody else can have a differing opinion about Toyota racing than you, everyone here has heard the same pitch.

“The Patriot Way” is infamous. Win now or hit the road. Players agree to it when they sign up and they don’t question it when they are released. Nobody has a golden parachute and everyone is the same.

On the contrary, JGR has made some similar type “win now” transactions over the years but it’s more shocking due to Joe’s “family” mantra. The team is ran similar to the Patriots with high standards for success, and rightfully so. Although Joe repeats “family” and “I work for the drivers”. The public relations statements often don’t match the decisions made behind closed doors.

That’s the only difference I was pointing out. Anything outside of that is more than likely your personal attachments getting in the way.

Could have saved keystrokes by simply saying that you don't know have any insight, and left it at that.

You parrot the biased BS here looking for "Likes." One so far and counting. Hang in there.

Personal stuff re: TRD....just a fan man....just like Chevy and Ford guys but haven't been around as long. Your differing opinion is based on the biased opinions spewed around here. I have heard all of those pitches, and they are laughable. If this is about dislike for a OEM and allegiance to another I am good with that, but spare me the personal stuff. You sound like a pissed off kid waiting for the swing on the playground.

Who the hell talks about the "Patriot Way" and everybody being the same on the heels of a Super Bowl where your "ordinary" former quarterback lifts the trophy while "The Patriot Way" watches from the couch. Yeah, everybody is the same. Gotcha.

The funniest part about all of this to me is that this is the only place that **** talks JGR. Don't see crap like this anywhere else. In fact, quite the contrary. The evils that lurk behind the doors of TRD and JGR are only known to the few here...the enlightened....The Chicky Nuggie Bunch.

Enjoy the races this weekend. Go Toyota!

 

[Revman]

Bell is an example of what Toyota can do without forcing drivers up the ladder. Had a few years in Xfinity, then grew through Leavine, and now he's in the 20. Also, it helps to have Adam Stevens at the helm as well, but Bell has been great so far in the two races.

I think he ascension will take time, but I expect him to be fighting every week. Homestead will be the next great test for him to see how good he is on the intermediates.

I feel like Adam Stevens is a really good crew chief. This might be a vey powerful pairing.

 

[hmmm298]

I feel like Adam Stevens is a really good crew chief. This might be a vey powerful pairing.

Seems possible. I just hesitate to judge or speculate etc either way usually until atleast around April every year, after they have done a few non-plate )and now non-road course) races. Homestead should be a good measure, as it seems to be a great track for drivers with dirt backgrounds etc.

 

[ChexOrWrex]

Could have saved keystrokes by simply saying that you don't know have any insight, and left it at that.

You parrot the biased BS here looking for "Likes." One so far and counting. Hang in there.

Personal stuff re: TRD....just a fan man....just like Chevy and Ford guys but haven't been around as long. Your differing opinion is based on the biased opinions spewed around here. I have heard all of those pitches, and they are laughable. If this is about dislike for a OEM and allegiance to another I am good with that, but spare me the personal stuff. You sound like a pissed off kid waiting for the swing on the playground.

Who the hell talks about the "Patriot Way" and everybody being the same on the heels of a Super Bowl where your "ordinary" former quarterback lifts the trophy while "The Patriot Way" watches from the couch. Yeah, everybody is the same. Gotcha.

The funniest part about all of this to me is that this is the only place that **** talks JGR. Don't see crap like this anywhere else. In fact, quite the contrary. The evils that lurk behind the doors of TRD and JGR are only known to the few here...the enlightened....The Chicky Nuggie Bunch.

Enjoy the races this weekend. Go Toyota!

How many posters are you gonna tell “you coulda just said X and left it at that”? If you don’t want discussion on a discussion board, leave. Theres plenty that a lot of us don’t agree on but you’re the only one telling people to be quiet.

You may not have noticed, but I don’t dislike JGR. Pointing out a perceived flaw isn’t a bias. I can point out flaws in every team but that isn’t what this thread is about. My post you exploded over funneled down into Bell and how I thought he could avoid being Suarez’ed, or Kenseth’ed, or Jones’ed. In this same thread I gave praise to Bell for his maturity. You might have missed that too.