DUQUOIN, Ill. – Christopher Bell was aiming for perfection during Saturday night’s Junior Knepper 55, but mechanical gremlins intervened and prevented him from scoring a big victory for Tucker-Boat Motorsports.

Bell won his heat race, won his qualifier, started from the pole and led the first 27 laps of the feature inside the Southern Illinois Center, but a fuel issue caused his No. 81 Pristine Auctions Toyota midget to shut off going down the backstretch, ending his night just before the halfway point.

The Norman, Okla., native was looking to become the first back-to-back champion of the event, but in Bell’s own words, it just wasn’t meant to be.

“I didn’t have any warning; the car just shut off on me there,” Bell told SPEED SPORT. “My heart breaks for Chad. He and his guys put a lot into this deal and they don’t have very many DNFs, so that’s something that he should be proud of and I’m just super bummed that we had one tonight.

“This car was super-fast and I feel like we absolutely proved what this team is capable of tonight, just like Chad proves it night in and night out when he’s behind the wheel,” added Bell. “I’m very thankful that I got to drive for him this weekend and just wish we could have given him the result he deserved.”

Bell was driving for Chad Boat because his regular team, Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports, elected not to bring any cars to DuQuoin this year and focus on preparations for the upcoming Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals.

You wouldn’t have known Bell was in a different car, though, as he was fast from the moment he hit the sixth-mile dirt oval on Saturday night.

“This car definitely had a different feel than Keith’s cars, and it took me a little bit to get used to that,” Bell noted. “It felt a little all over the place in hot laps, but the Tucker-Boat guys kept working on it and got me really comfortable by the end of the night.”

Despite not capturing another victory in a midget this season, Bell said he feels “more ready than ever” going into the Chili Bowl next month.

First, however, comes a stop in the Southern Hemisphere before he returns to the United States.

“It feels really good to have a good run in a midget heading towards the Chili Bowl, but I think it gives me even more confidence going into New Zealand … because I’ll be running for a different team there,” said Bell. “That’s probably the biggest help and I’m just excited to be able to keep racing this winter.”