Welcome Back … The 2017 Craftsman Truck Series champion and NASCAR Cup Series winner Christopher Bell will make his second start this season for Hattori Racing Enterprises this Saturday at Pocono Raceway. Bell will pilot the No. 61 Gunma Toyopet Toyota Tundra TRD Pro in the CRC Brakleen 150 at Pocono Raceway on July 22nd. This marks a return to the team after Bell most recently raced at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
Bell at Pocono … In a handful of starts at Pocono Raceway, Bell has posted two top-10 finishes at the unique two-and-a-half-mile triangle superspeedway. The best result came in 2017 during his championship year when Bell took home the hardware winning the Overton’s 150. Bell will try to replicate the performance next Saturday afternoon.
History in the Truck Series … To date, the 28-year-old has seven wins in 54 career series starts, making a Championship four appearance in both of his full-time seasons. With his championship, Bell also bolsters 26 top-five finishes with 41 top-10 finishes in the series. Bell has also amassed six poles and over 1,200 laps lead in his truck series career.
Chassis Selection … Chassis No. 017 will make its third start of the season at Pocono Raceway. This Toyota Tundra TRD Pro made its last start at Kansas Speedway, where Tyler Ankrum would run around the top-10 most of the day, ultimately finishing inside the top-10.
Tune In … Fox Sports 1 has complete coverage of the CRC Brakleen 150 at Pocono Raceway, with race day coverage on Saturday beginning at 11:30 am ET with NASCAR Race Day (FS1), followed by the green flag on Saturday afternoon at 12:00 pm ET (FS1). Stay connected with the No. 61 Gunma Toyopet team by following @Hattori_Racing on Twitter, @hattoriracing on Instagram, and Hattori Racing Enterprises on Facebook.
Christopher Bell Quote on Pocono Raceway:
“I am beyond excited to come back and get the opportunity to race in the Craftsman Truck Series again for Shige Hattori and the entire Hattori Racing Enterprises organization. I feel like we had a really good run going at North Wilkesboro that just didn’t shake out for us in the end. I really enjoyed working with that group of guys and their dedication to the team. It’s going to be a pretty short race, so figuring out the strategy and sticking to it will be the name of the game at Pocono. I am so honored to have Gunma Toyopet and Toyota Tsusho on the truck to help support this effort and I am looking forward to Pocono Raceway”.
Hattori Racing Enterprises
