HAMPTON, Ga. — Looking for redemption after a near-miss in last year’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Christopher Bell led the way during second practice for the Active Pest Control 200 on Friday.
Bell clocked a best lap of 30.739 seconds (180.357 mph) in his No. 4 SiriusXM Toyota Tundra, the only driver to crack the 180 mph barrier during the session.
The Oklahoma native will be looking for his third-career Truck Series victory on Saturday and says that his team owner and teammate, Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch, was one of his biggest aids during the 55-minute block.
“Just to be able to follow him (Busch) around and be able to get a feel for what he’s doing and where he’s making time is a huge help,” Bell said. “He’s the best guy we’ve got out here (in the field). I’ve really leaned on him a lot and I think he’s pushed us to be better and definitely helped us get more out of our truck so far this weekend. We’ve got a really fast hot rod … so hopefully we can put it all together and come out of here with a win on Saturday.”
Defending series champion Johnny Sauter clocked the second-fastest lap in second practice and was the fastest Chevrolet, posting a time of 30.801 seconds (179.994 mph) in his No. 21 Allegiant Travel Silverado.
Opening practice leader Chase Briscoe was third and gave all three manufacturers representation among the top three, touring the 1.54-mile quad-oval in 31.127 seconds (178.109 mph) in his No. 29 Cooper Standard Ford.
Toyota drivers Brett Moffitt (31.158/177.932) and Ben Rhodes (31.172/177.852) completed the top five, just ahead of stablemates Noah Gragson, Busch and Matt Crafton.
Stewart Friesen was a surprise, going ninth-quick for Halmar Friesen Racing, with Parker Kligerman rounding out the top 10 in the Henderson Motorsports No. 75 Toyota.
Final NASCAR Camping World Truck Series practice is set for 4:30 p.m. ET, with live coverage on FOX Sports 1, the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.
