Heading into the final NASCAR Cup Series race of the penultimate playoffs round this season, Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell is getting all the help he needs from his team as Xfinity Series regular Aric Almirola helps the #20 Toyota Camry driver make the most of his race on Sunday.
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In what has been a venue that Bell himself describes as “hit or miss”, Almirola’s prior experience in the Cup Series as well as his recent victory at ‘The Paperclip’ on Saturday during the Xfinity race means the 40-year-old veteran has understood the short track well.
Looking forward to extracting the most from his race come Sunday, Bell elaborated on how Almirola’s inputs have been working for the #20 Cup Series crew.
“He’s been a huge benefit to myself and me this year since he’s come on board and this is probably his best racetrack on the calendar. We spend a lot of time together, went through the simulator together just focussing on driver techniques and stuff like that. I feel like I’m as prepared as I’ve ever been,” elaborated the 29-year-old.
Bell’s past five results at the track themselves are representative of his up-and-down trajectory at Martinsville. He finished in P35 during this year’s spring race at the venue with a P7, P16, P1, and P20 results going further back.
It remains to be seen if Almirola’s techniques and his experience with not only the Xfinity Series car but the Next Gen car can help Christopher Bell solidify his spot in the Final 4.
The race kicks off this Sunday, November 3. 2024 at 2:00 pm ET.
Aric Almirola bags Final 4 spot in the NASCAR Xfinity owners championship
With his win during Saturday’s National Debt Relief 250 at Martinsville, Almirola solidified JGR’s #20 Xfinity entry into the Final round of the owner’s Playoffs. This result will now see the veteran driver challenge for arguably the more important championship trophy for his team, one that essentially hands out the checks at the end of the year.
Despite the 30-year-old not making the driver’s championship cut at ‘The Paperclip’, Almirola managed to keep Sammy Smith at bay during the final stages of the race after bagging the first two stage wins as well.
He drove the #20 Toyota Supra and earned his third victory of the season at the short track. Meanwhile, AJ Allmendinger, Austin Hill, Justin Allgaier, and Cole Custer make up the four drivers who will challenge for the title at Phoenix.
The series finale is scheduled to go live on Saturday, November 9, 2024, at 7;30 pm ET, building up to the Cup Series finale at the same venue that very weekend.
