Christopher Bell to be more frank and a career past career: 12 questions

Each week, Athletics Ask the same 12 questions to another racing car driver. According to: Christopher Bell by Joe Gibbs Racing, who is currently third in the Nascar Cup Point Series ranking. This interview has been modified and condensed, but the full version is available on the Podcast 12 questions.

1. What was one of the first autographs you had when you were a child, and you remember that moment?

I’m going to be honest, I have never really been an autograph. As a child, I don’t remember chasing autographs. But Jared at (sponsor) virgin sent me a basketball signed Chris Paul. I love the CP3 because growing up in Oklahoma, the Hornets came to Oklahoma City to play when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. They were the first professional sports team we had in Oklahoma City. So I was a big fan of the CP3 when I was a child growing up, and having a basketball signed CP3 is pretty cool.

2. What is the most miserable you have ever been inside a racing car?

I had stomach aches a few years ago in Dover for training and qualifications. It was so bad. I was in group B for training and I just count in the minutes like: “When can we go?” Because once on the right track, it doesn’t matter how sick you are – everything disappears and you don’t notice anything. But I remember sitting there waiting and counting in the minutes until our session has passed. And then he rained in qualification, so I said to myself “Hallelujah”.

3. Outside the race, what is your last memory of something that you have become too competitive?

My grass in my courtyard. This was represented in the Netflix documentary (season 1 of “full speed”). I didn’t think I would be known as “The Grass Guy”, and I didn’t take it seriously. But I was new to the property with a courtyard before at that time. I love my court, but I don’t have time and efforts to invest in it and do it myself, so I will never have as good as people who do it themselves. So it will never be a 10 out of 10.

4. What are people mistaken about you?

I remember that every time I put in professional motorsport, through my adolescence, people loved me and I had no enemies. No one hated me.

Then you enter Nascar, and I don’t know if it is because people do not know the individuals, or maybe I have changed and I am just a hole in A, but I definitely have people who don’t like me now. I say to myself: “I don’t understand how no one could love me.” I never had people who don’t like me when I was growing up, and now I do it.

5. What type of uber passenger are you and how much do you care about your Uber side?

I’m not really a Uber rider. I use it just whenever it is (an emergency). … I do not even know what is my Uber passenger rating, but I am definitely the guy who says: “Please do not speak. Let me sit here in silence, take advantage of my ride and do not speak at all.”

6. It is a question of Joker that I mix for each person. You have obtained more strikers in the past year, and Nascar said that they have appreciated your opinions much more since the Martinsville race handling last fall. It seems that you are more comfortable to express yourself with them and about sport. From your point of view, what has changed?

I know what has changed, and it was alone the confidence and the commitment I obtained from my team and my sponsors. This sport is so difficult because you are examined the most sharp margins. Whenever you have sponsors who pay for you to run, you must have these people and you just don’t want to say bad things. You don’t want to have any problems.

It took me a little to settle in my role as a pilot at Joe Gibbs Racing in car n ° 20. He clicked once I solidified myself and my position. … It allowed me to open myself more knowing, hopefully, I do not say the bad thing, but you do not walk on pins and needles and eggshells trying to make sure not to screw up and make a sponsor run away.

7. I have been doing these 12 questions for 16 years, so I go back to an older one I have done with each person. So 2018 was our first, and at the time, Kyle Larson had a question for you: “What year do you think you will win your first Outlaws World of Outlaws championship?” You said 2038 when you are 43 years old because it was your dream. Many things have happened for the past seven years. Is it always your dream to go on the outlaw one day? Do you think you will be in Nascar longer now?

Well, I’m glad I didn’t say 2028. (Laughs.) At this stage of my life, winning an Outlaws title is probably not on my horizon. Once I have finished in the Cup series, I find it hard to believe that I am going to register to organize a national tour. So, my answer will have changed in the fact that I do not see myself directing a full -time series after my release from the series of Cups.

Yes, it would be a little weird to go from this whole version for a long career, then register at 90 races per year.

Me and my friends let’s say all the time about Kasey Kahne – How he is a veteran of the 15 -year -old series of cuts trying to make a name of Sprint Racing car on tour. I’m super happy he can do it, but he acts and looks more like a 20 -year -old child, not a 45 -year -old guy. It’s cool to see him do it, so who knows? Maybe I will have a change of heart in 10 years each time you ask me again.

8. Apart from one of your teammates, appoint a pilot that you would be one of the first people to congratulate them to Victory Lane if they won a race.

This is easy: Sheldon Creed. I love Sheldon. I am honestly shocked that he did not win a lot, many races now in the XFINITY series. Thanks to his serial career of trucks, I felt like I was one of the best guys to come. Xfinity stuff was a little perplexed, but certainly every time he wins, I will make sure that I am there to congratulate him.

9. How much do you use AI technology, whether for your work or your daily life?

Honestly, I don’t know the first thing about AI, apart from it can simply imitate and make things real. But I don’t use it at all, and I don’t really know it.

10. What is a moment in your life that has been really difficult, but you feel proud of the way you responded?

Some problems are good to have, but these are always problems. In 2014, I had just left my USAC championship (United States Auto Club) with Toyota and the Guys Spire presented me a Roush contract to do car shopping races. The Roush contract was a long -term agreement which explained a clear path and written to the Cup series.

At that time in 2014, I was obviously with Toyota. When we brought this offer to the group of Toyota pilots, they say to themselves: “Dude, we cannot do this. There is no way that we can match a 10 -year contract which explains how you will arrive in the Cup.

I had a lot of great mentors in my life, and Pete Willoughby was the biggest of Keith Kunz Motorsports. He says: “Dude, I trust Toyota’s guys whom they will get there.” And they are the ones who have invested in me from the start.

So I ended up refusing this Rush contract, and I signed up at 15 late races, and they promised me that I could make Eldora Truck’s race in 2015. It was a very difficult decision to refuse a long -term agreement from Roush to arrive at the series of Cups and stay with Toyota, but obviously, I was tickled in death with the way it turned out.

11. What should happen to Nascar to pass this sport on the level of higher popularity?

We must start again to market drivers more. Growing up, you saw the pilots everywhere, and it really did them like rock stars. I remember seeing myself, like coke machines, and I am almost sure that Pepsi (had) Jeff Gordon on the machines everywhere, like inside Walmart and Lowe’s and Home Depot. You have seen the faces of pilots everywhere.

Now no one really knows who are the new generation of drivers. The sponsors included, they have to start pushing their drivers more to make the face to the public.

12. Each week, I ask a driver to ask me a question for the next person. Daniel Suárez was the last. He says: How many dirt races do you plan to do this year? And does that help you for cutting races, or is it just something you like to do?

I probably did 10 races this year, and I will probably end up doing 20 to 30. Do I think that the management of an earth car directly helps to operate a Sunday car? No. But it is a great mental reset to move away from the Grind of the Cup series, and it takes place on a positive side. I don’t know why, but if you run well in a cutting car and you are going to run a sprint car, you are doing well. And then the same thing (in the other direction).

But more importantly, whenever you have negative times – whenever you don’t work well – this allows you to escape. I do not know how many times throughout my career, you have a bad Sunday, you debrief on Monday, then you are outside Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, I cook your error or your bad race. If you have something during the week to go out and put yourself on something else, it really helps to break this mental slide.

The next interview is with Ryan Blaney. Do you have a question that I can ask him?

What are his reflections on the current rules package – Aero and Horsepower for the three types of track – and what should we go if he wants something different?

(Top photo of Christopher Bell during the Xfinity Series race last weekend in Mexico: James Gilbert / Getty Images)