Christopher Bell has expanded his racing schedule to fill out the week between Cup Series races at Sonoma Raceway and Dover Motor Speedway. He will return to sprint car racing for part of a crown jewel event.
According to a Wednesday announcement, Bell will join forces with team owner Don Kreitz Jr. to drive the No. 69k. He will compete in the first two nights of the 42nd annual Kings Royal, which is one of sprint car racing's crown jewel events.
The site of this prestigious event will be the famed Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio. Bell will compete in the Double Down Duels on Wednesday, July 16, and the Joker's Jackpot on Thursday, July 17. The Joker's Jackpot, in particular, is a $100,000-to-win event.
Photo credit: Interstate Batteries
Bell will not be able to compete in the rest of the events on the crown jewel's schedule. The Knight Before and the Kings Royal will take place as he heads to Dover Motor Speedway for another Cup Series event.
"NASCAR has the Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600, Brickyard 400 and Southern 500. Sprint car racing has the Kings Royal and the Knoxville Nationals. Those are always the big events," Bell said in a press release
"The Kings Royal is a huge event and it's always an honor to be a part of it, even if it's only for the first two nights."
Bell made his name in sprint car racing before moving through the stock car racing ranks and becoming a multi-time Cup Series winner. However, he had to put this pursuit on the shelf for multiple seasons due to policies at Joe Gibbs Racing. Bell was not allowed to compete in these extraneous events while also driving the No. 20 Cup Series car.
The situation changed late last year as Joe Gibbs altered the policy. Drivers on the NASCAR roster could compete in sprint car events and other racing series if they received approval. This opened up the opportunity for Bell to get back into sprint car racing.
The Oklahoma native wasted little time. He took part in the Tulsa Shootout and scored a photo-finish win over Kyle Larson. He then yelled, "Thank you, Joe Gibbs" during his celebratory interview.
"Racers race, and the more you race, the better you are," Bell said while discussing this Kings Royal opportunity.
"You can go lift weights and run as much as you want, but being in that racing environment and focusing on the task at hand, it's different - a lot different - and there's no way you can prepare for it other than doing it."