Preview – NASCAR Racing Experience 300 at Daytona

RACE INFO – The NASCAR Racing Experience 300 at DIS begins at 2:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, February 16, 2019. The race will be broadcast live on Fox Sports One, Sirius XM 90, and MRN Radio.

Christopher Bell – No. 20 Rheem Toyota Supra Preview – NASCAR Racing Experience 300 at Daytona International Speedway

Back to Daytona: Christopher Bell will make his third NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) start at Daytona International Speedway (DIS) Saturday in the NASCAR Racing Experience 300. Bell was collected just 11-laps into the 2018 season opener at Daytona, but had better luck in the July race when he crossed the finish line third.

There is always so much excitement heading to Daytona to kick off our season. Having a good qualifying effort is key as you get to start up front, stay up front and hopefully stay out of the big one.

Rookie Season Recap: Bell found his way to victory lane seven times in 2018, setting the win record by a rookie. In addition to the seven wins, Bell started from the pole position five times and earned 10 top-five and 18 top-10 finishes. Bell qualified for the NXS playoffs, advancing to the final four and after a late race incident finished the season fourth in the point standings.

Poised for Success: Bell heads into 2019 poised to make a run for the 2019 Xfinity Series championship after an extremely successful rookie season. Bell will continue behind the wheel of the No. 20 Toyota Supra for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) which will be branded with the iconic red and black Rheem colors. Rheem is one of the longest running sponsors in NASCAR and enters their 11th season in the sport. The Rheem and Ruud brands will represent the company’s family of quality brands on the No. 20 Supra throughout the 2019 season at racetracks across the country.

Making the Calls: Veteran crew chief Jason Ratcliff will once again call the shots atop the pit box of the No. 20 Rheem Supra with Christopher Bell in 2019. The duo head into their second full-time season together after an extremely successful 2018 Rookie season for Bell. Ratcliff joined the No. 20 NXS team last year 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 88 Xfinity Series starts at DIS and has earned four wins, 20 top-five and 34 top-10 finishes. The championship-winning organization has won nine poles with an average start of 10.6 an average finish of 17.3.

Christopher Bell: “I’m really excited to get this season started. The Rheem Toyota Supra looks awesome and I’m ready to get on track. There is always so much excitement heading to Daytona to kick off our season. Having a good qualifying effort is key as you get to start up front, stay up front and hopefully stay out of the big one. We didn’t have much luck avoiding the big one last year, but hopefully this year we can put it all together and be in contention at the end.”

Christopher Bell’s Xfinity Series Stats