Christopher Bell's Duel Win and Toyota's Speed Bodes Well for Daytona 500
9 months agoChristopher Bell starts fourth in the Daytona 500 after winning the second Duel race thanks to passing his teammate, Denny Hamlin, on the last lap. Despite having never won a points-paying race on a drafting track before, Bell enters as one of the pre-race favorites. In addition to his Duel win and his resulting good starting position, the Toyotas were generally fastest in both races Thursday night, with Bell and Tyler Reddick both winning from starting positions outside the top fifteen despite both of them leading only one lap. Bell himself has led at least twenty laps in two of the last three Daytona 500s. Additionally, Ty Gibbs had the fastest average lap time in the first duel while John Hunter Nemechek did in the second race, further proving Toyota's advantage in speed. All these factors make Bell one of the drivers to watch for the 500.
Source: Racing Reference
Source: Racing Reference