What Christopher Bell said about massive Michigan crash, injury update

Christopher Bell’s No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota hit the wall at Michigan on June 7 with 63 Gs of force, Bell said during a media availability on June 13 at Pocono.

Bell suffered a fractured left wrist in the crash, in which a NASCAR official said this week was the hardest hit in the Next Gen era in the Cup Series.

Bell said his left wrist was jammed as he continued to grasp the wheel as his car made impact with the wall.

Under normal circumstances, Bell said, his injury would take about six weeks to heal and remove the cast. But he will attempt to drive with the injury starting at Pocono, and will plan to race the full 400 mile this weekend.

Joe Gibbs Racing O’Reilly Auto Parts Series driver Brandon Jones will be the driver on standby if Bell needs to be relieved on June 14. Bell said he would know after practice if he would run the full race or start the race for points and be replaced early in the event by Jones.

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Bell also said that he will be able to hold the wheel with his left hand on the straightaways at Pocono, allowing for shifting, but will be driving primarily right-handed.

The Cup Series moves on to two road courses after Pocono, the Naval Base Coronado course in San Diego and at Sonoma. With right and left-hand turns, plus shifting, road-course racing will be more demanding.

“It’s certainly going to be hard,” Bell said, noting that his sim sessions went OK earlier this week in preparing for the San Diego course.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: What Christopher Bell said about massive Michigan crash, injury update

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