DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Kyle Busch confirmed Saturday at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway that his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) team, Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) will run four trucks next Thursday night at Kentucky Speedway.
Twenty-year-old Christopher Bell, who wowed in his Truck Series debut finishing fifth after starting 10th at Iowa Speedway last month, will drive the No. 52 Toyota Tundra in the UNOH 225. As of now, Busch says Wes Ward is scheduled to serve as crew chief.
“I’m really looking forward to it,” said Busch of Bell’s second truck start. “I think he’s a huge asset to Toyota, has been for a few years now and we’re really looking forward to continuing on his progression through the NASCAR ranks and the pavement ranks to get him up front in the truck series.”
Transitioning from a short track to an intermediate track won’t be an easy task for the former Turkey Night Grand Prix USAC Midget winner, but Busch has confidence in his latest protégé.
“He ran great at Iowa,” added Busch. “I think he learned a lot and did a really good job of bringing home a top-five finish. Hopefully, he can learn now the aerodynamics of what all that’s like and finish good at Kentucky.”
Bell, the 2013 United States Auto Club (USAC) National Midget champion began his pavement-racing career last fall driving for KBM’s Late Model team. In just his fourth start, Bell outdueled second-generation driver and fellow Truck Series competitor John Hunter Nemechek to win at Orange County Speedway in Rougemont, North Carolina.
This season, Bell has been on an absolute tear on the Late Model scene. He’s collected four victories and a pair of runner-up finishes en route an average finish of 1.7 across seven starts this season.
The Norman, Oklahoma native will make his eighth start of the year in KBM’s No. 51 Toyota Camry Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS) in a Pro All Star Series (PASS) event.
In addition to his truck series debut at Iowa, Bell made two NASCAR K&N Pro Series starts earlier this season at Irwindale (Calif.) Speedway and Iowa Speedway, respectively. At Iowa, Bell climbed from his 18th spot at the halfway break of the Casey’s 150 combination to register a fifth-place result.
Bell’s performance at Iowa earned him the opportunity to advance. Whatever the outcome, the youngster appears to be on the fast track to success, similar to that of his boss, Kyle Busch.
Erik Jones (No. 4), Daniel Suarez (No. 51) and Justin Boston (No. 54) complete the four truck roster for the Mooresville, North Carolina-based team.
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01.
