The Kroger 250 will mark TJ Bell's fourth Camping World Truck Series start at the .526 mile paperclip shaped southern Virginia track at Martinsville Speedway. The last time Bell competed in Martinsville was the fall race of the 2008 season. He qualified near the back of the field in the 29th position; however, he quickly maneuvered his way through the field ending his day with an impressive sixth place finish. Bell has received one Top-10 in his previous three starts and has completed a total of 697 laps at Martinsville Speedway.
So far this 2009 season Bell has not had a better qualifying start than a 17th position. Although Bell has not had lady luck on his side during qualifying, the 2009 race results tell another story. In addition to earning a Top-15 in all three races, Bell has been turning heads this season with his strong on track performance. Bell has completed a total of 330 laps with 295 laps running in the Top-15 (89.4%). Mid race stats show Bell running in the Top-10 in all three previous races. Bell has an average running position of 9.6 and has more passes than any other driver - 191. Bell finds himself currently sitting in the eighth position only 29 points away from the third place position held by Mike Skinner.
The #11 Red Horse Racing Toyota Tundra team is hoping for continued success at the Martinsville Speedway. The #11 team has competed a total of eight times previously at Martinsville, in which they have brought home five Top-10's with three of those being a third place, second place and one first place finish in 2006.
Bell on racing at Martinsville Speedway "I had a good run there last fall and I think I finally figured out how to get around the track without over driving it. I'm excited to get our #11 Toyota Tundra there to keep our strong finishes going".
Veteran Crew Chief Rick Gay on racing at Martinsville Speedway"Martinsville is the first short track race of the season. I feel it will define Red Horse as a contender for the championship. We are taking truck #43. This truck was the race winning truck from 2006, and has been an all around good short track truck for us. The new rules will bring new challenges to race strategy, only in the aspect of having to pit two times for tires the first time and gas the second time. We are testing in Rockingham this Wednesday. I am looking forward to getting a test with TJ Bell. I feel we are close to being a force to be reckoned with in the truck series in just a short time together. Over time our communication has gotten better, and I feel that we are only getting stronger as we continue to work together".
Equipment Information The No. 11 Red Horse Racing team will compete with chassis # 43 in the Kroger 250 at Martinsville Motor Speedway. This chassis is the same chassis that won the race for the #11 team in 2006. This will mark the first time Bell will compete with this chassis.
Additional Notes TJ Bell became engaged to long time girlfriend Alexis Gamboa this past weekend in Las Vegas. There has been no date set for the upcoming wedding.
TJ Bell and Red Horse Racing seeking Sponsorship Partner Red Horse Racing and TJ Bell are still looking for a sponsor to partner with them for the remainder of the season. "We are hoping to run the full 2009 NCWTS season, but the lack of a full primary sponsorship makes that a tough decision," says Bell.
Red Horse Racing is currently running both the #1 Toyota Tundra driven by defending Champion Johnny Benson as well as the #11 driven by TJ Bell, without primary sponsorship. Red Horse Racing is looking to create and help facilitate B2B opportunities for sponsors and assist with additional added value programs and incentives that are unique to Red Horse Racing. For more information on sponsorship opportunities for either the #1 or the #11 please contact Tanya Hall @ thall@redhorseracing.net.
