Bell Runs Season Win Total to 20 with Two Calistoga Scores!

Lonnie Wheatley, NORMAN, Okla. (September 3, 2014) – Christopher Bell had never laid eyes upon the scenic Calistoga Speedway in California’s Napa Valley.

But, the 19-year-old from Norman, OK, definitely found the fast ½-mile clay oval to his liking, adding a non-wing 410-ci Sprint Car win on Saturday and then a $10,000 Midget triumph on Sunday night to run his season total to an astounding 20 victories.

Bell did double-duty on both nights of the Louie Vermeil Classic, taking the seat of the Roth Motorsports non-wing Sprint Car for the USAC/CRA portion of the event and wheeling the familiar Keith Kunz Motorsports No. 71 Toyota Midget in USAC Western States Midget action.

Along with Saturday night’s Sprint Car win, Bell also finished second on the Midget.  Then he coupled a third-place Sprint Car finish on Sunday with his Midget triumph to make it four Calistoga podiums in as many starts over the weekend.

Running a wide assortment of cars this year among the Midget and Sprint Car ranks, Bell only had a pair of non-wing Sprint Car starts under his belt this year prior to the weekend.

“I was a little nervous, I’ve only run non-wing a couple of times this year and here I am at Calistoga, a big, fast half-mile,” Bell explained.

Early nerves aside, Bell settled into the Roth mount quite nicely in short order.  “That car was so nice, it was really fast and stable, it never felt tippy,” Bell says.

Bell spent the early portion of Saturday’s Sprint Car feature chasing down Ryan Bernal.  “Bernal was probably gonna win, I think we were a little better but getting by him was going to be another thing.”

But when Bernal encountered problems under a caution, Bell took quick advantage and raced on to victory lane in his first outing aboard the Roth Motorsports machine.

And Bell was ever so close to sweeping the night, just missing out on the $10,000 Midget win earlier in the evening.  “I took the lead on the lap 7 and led all the way to lap 28 and Rico drove by,” Bell said after settling for second.

Looking for a sweep of the Sprint Car weekend with the familiar Roth No. 83 affixed to the car rather than the No. 51T it carried on Saturday night, Bell led as late as lap 21 of the 30-lapper before settling for third in Sunday’s finale.

Bell made his Sunday night lucrative though, outlasting KKM teammates Tanner Thorson and Rico Abreu to take the $10,000 winner’s share in Midget action.  Bell slid past Thorson for the point on the 25th lap and then survived contact with Abreu in the final pair of laps.

“We were crossing over, I slipped a little bit and got a piece of him (Abreu), I definitely didn’t want that to happen,” Bell says.

“Two more wins though and twenty on the year, we definitely had a great weekend,” Bell concludes.

2014 Quick Stats:  79 races, 20 wins, 43 top-fives, 54 top-tens.

Next Up:

Bell’s next scheduled Sprint Car action will be World of Outlaws competition at Kokomo Speedway on September 16, Terre Haute Action Track on September 17 and Eldora Speedway on September 19 before finishing off the Four Crown Nationals at Eldora on September in USAC Midget competition.

Keep Track:  Keep track of Christopher Bell’s on-track action including schedule and results at http://www.christopherbellracing.com/.

If you would like to keep up with all of Christopher Bell’s racing action by having press releases e-mailed directly to you, simply send your e-mail address to Lonnie Wheatley at lonniewheatley@gmail.com.

Penning the recurring series of “The Wheatley Chronicles” articles on racinboys.com, Lonnie Wheatley provides media, public relations and more for select tracks, drivers and events.  For more information, Wheatley may be contacted at lonniewheatley@gmail.com.


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Ben Shelton (msrmafia@gmail.com)
September 3rd, 2014

Scott Groves Snares Pair of Weekend Top Tens

Canton, Georgia (09/03/14) – Scott Groves enjoyed his best outings to date over the Labor Day weekend in his Zen Windows Racing #311 Rocket/Clements Super Late Model with a pair of top ten finishes.

The team opened action with a return to Dixie Speedway (Woodstock, Georgia) on Saturday night for a Weekly Racing Series program. Scott qualified seventh overall among the entrants, and after falling back early in the 30 lap feature he recovered to a seventh place finish at the checkered flag.

"I want to recognize Gary Winger, owner of GW Performance, and my cousin Danny Conrad for their help on Saturday night," Groves said following his first ever top ten finish in a Super Late Model. "Gary made the right call on tires for the main event, and it really helped us secure a solid finish," he added.

Action shifted to Rome Speedway (Rome, Georgia) on Sunday evening for a $3,000-to-win, Labor Day Super Late Model special. Groves locked into the fourteenth starting spot for the feature via time trials. When the race went green, a melee on the backstretch shuffled Scott back several positions. He progressively worked his way forward through the latter stages of the event to make his way back into the top ten.

A convincing charge to pass three other competitors moved Scott into the sixth position. However, the move was immediately erased when the caution waved before a lap could be completed. Several other caution period’s occurred during the final ten laps, as Groves held on to a respectable ninth place finish in the final rundown.

Full results from both events can be found at www.DixieSpeedway.com .
The upcoming weekend will see Scott entering a single event as he returns to Dixie Speedway on Saturday night for a Weekly Racing Series Event. For more information on the event please visit www.DixieSpeedway.com .

Scott Groves and Zen Windows Racing would to like to thank their sponsors including Zen Windows, Groves Excavating & Trucking, Capitol Machine, and MSR Mafia Website & PR Services.

For more information on Scott Groves and Zen Windows Racing please visit www.ScottGrovesRacing.com .