Pole-sitter Christopher Bell admits that track position is the ‘least important’ factor at the New Hampshire Cup race
The NHMS race was postponed to Monday after heavy rain on Sunday.
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Christopher Bell (Credits: @CBellRacing/Twitter)
New Hampshire Motor Speedway has always been a great track for Toyota teams. TRD drivers can get the best out of the cars at the short track, unlike their Chevy and Ford counterparts. So it was no surprise when Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing took the pole, and multiple Toyota drivers secured the top 10 positions in the qualifiers.
But during his post-qualifying press conference, the Bristol dirt race winner admitted that the track position might not be a big factor on the main race day. He finds it as one of the least concerning factors. He backed his argument by pointing out that drivers had to slide around a lot during fast lap runs at the track on Saturday.
“I honestly believe that track position is going to be the least important it has ever been at this race track or at least compared to what it was last year. The amount of sliding around that we did today, the lack of grip – I think the cream is going to rise to the top – the good drivers, the good cars are going to be able to pass and get their way to the front,” Bell said during the press conference.
Bell pointed out that staying up front all day, which he wants to do, will not be an easy task as, along with the threats from drivers, he will also have to tackle the slippery nature of the track. He added that a strategy that involves short or long pitting would also challenge a front-runner on Monday noon.
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Christopher Bell gives his verdict on the new Goodyear tire compound
Goodyear introduced a new tire compound, rumored to be aimed at producing more fall-off and being slicker to Laudon for the race. Bell was surprised at how different the tire felt compared to the earlier part of the 2023 season or the last time they were racing at the track. He went on to add that it is a step in the direction of NASCAR.
“A huge difference from last year’s race to this year’s race. A huge difference from middle of April till now. I was shocked when I got out there and the lack of grip, we had compared to what we had at the test, and the only thing that is different is the ambient conditions,” Bell said.
“I think the tire is going to be a step in the right direction. It is hard to pinpoint what the difference is in the tires because whenever we were here 12 months ago, we had a spoiler that was four times what we have now,” Bell added.
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Justin P Joy
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