HAMPTON, Ga. – Christopher Bell’s recent stretch run at Volusia Speedway Park’s annual DIRTcar Nationals was important in more ways than one.
While it was his first significant amount of time on dirt since his Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals win in Tulsa, Okla., last month, it also marked his debut in the Swindell SpeedLab No. 39 sprint car.
Bell inherited the seat after car owner Kevin Swindell’s full-time driver, Spencer Bayston, took a ride with Pete Grove for the full Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions schedule. That move left Swindell seeking a new pilot as he looked to slim down his team’s schedule for the upcoming year.
“It actually worked out really well,” said Bell of the deal with Swindell. “Kevin was looking for a driver this year because Spencer (Bayston) had come up with other opportunities. He really wasn’t wanting to do a full schedule … and I think he had some sponsorship money available to him if he could run me in the car. It worked out perfect for me because obviously I’m not looking for a full-time ride.
“We just got together, and Kevin said that he’s going to race whenever I’m available to race.”
Bell ran four nights for Swindell at Volusia – two with the All Stars and two with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series – earning three straight top-five finishes from Thursday to Saturday.
In fact, third- and second-place finishes on Friday and Saturday nights were enough to put Bell second in the World of Outlaw point standings leaving Volusia, an accomplishment Bell is extremely proud of.
“We’re off to a great start. Obviously sitting second in Outlaw points right now is pretty freaking cool,” Bell noted. “I’m really excited about that and it’s a huge testament to what this team is capable of.”
One of the biggest joys for Bell with Swindell SpeedLab has been the fun factor, something he referenced after his dominant NASCAR Xfinity Series win on Saturday at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
“I’ve had a blast so far,” said Bell of racing for Swindell. “Obviously, running well has really made us feel a lot better relationship-wise, but I’ll be honest … if you had told me a couple of years ago that I was gonna be driving for Kevin Swindell, I would have told you that you were crazy. It wasn’t that we didn’t ever get along as people, but we had a couple of run-ins on the race track at Chili Bowl.
“He was one of my fiercest competitors, any time he was racing, and I think that makes him a really great crew chief and car owner,” Bell continued. “Whenever I go over there and tell him I’m struggling with something, he knows what I’m talking about. Just being able to drive for such a successful driver-turned-crew-chief, I think, is a big advantage.”
That advantage nearly turned into a World of Outlaws victory, something Swindell wants to attain soon.
“I thought we were one of the fastest cars, if not the fastest car, all week long,” Swindell said. “It was good to run so well during the final three nights after having a problem on that Wednesday show. I believe we have a car capable of winning World of Outlaws races and we nearly accomplished that.”
With his focus on winning an Xfinity Series championship, Bell won’t be doing a lot of dirt-track racing this season, but he will continue to sling it sideways as much as his busy schedule allows for.
“Our next race will probably be either the April off weekend or one of the off weekends in May,” Bell noted. “We’re just going to play it one go at a time.”
