Christopher Bell left Daytona International Speedway frustrated after NASCAR’s new superspeedway package failed to produce the major change he expected during the Coke Zero Sugar 400. The Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota driver finished 17th in the NASCAR Cup Series race, but the result secured him the sixth seed for The Chase.
The 10-race playoff begins next week at Darlington Raceway. NASCAR changed the Daytona package by cutting the rear spoiler from seven inches to four inches and reducing engine output from 510 to 465 horsepower. The changes aimed to reduce drag, create more room in traffic and limit fuel saving.
Bell supported the NASCAR package before the race, expecting Daytona to look different. Instead, the NASCAR Cup Series race left him questioning what the Daytona package had achieved.
Christopher Bell Unhappy With NASCAR Cup Series Daytona Package
Bell said the NASCAR package did not change how the cars handled at Daytona.
“It wasn’t any different at all, which I was really disappointed in because I thought that I really bought into it. I thought it was gonna be a lot different and it didn’t play out different at all. The car drove the exact same, so yeah, very, very perplexing.”
The Christopher Bell Daytona result showed the NASCAR Cup Series package had not created the separation NASCAR wanted. Bell said the cars remained tightly grouped despite the lower-downforce setup.
“I mean, I guess it just goes to show that these things have a way, way, way more grip than what we expected.”
NASCAR Package Creates More Fuel Saving Problems
Christopher Bell also said the lower horsepower in the Daytona NASCAR package may have made fuel saving worse.
The reduced engine output lowered the pace, while the stage lengths forced teams to manage fuel over longer runs. Bell said that combination affected the NASCAR Cup Series race.
“Yeah, I mean, I really thought that we’re gonna see a drastically different race and arguably it was worse because of the lower horsepower change, the mile per gallon. And then the mile per gallon mixed with the amount of laps that we had to run in the stages turned into even more fuel saving.”
Bell said fuel saving was only part of the problem. The NASCAR package still left drivers with little room to make moves.
Christopher Bell Says Daytona Racing Stayed Gridlocked
Bell said the Daytona NASCAR Cup Series race lacked the openings drivers need to pass.
“We can talk about fuel saving all we want, but ultimately fuel saving or racing, the cars, you’re just gridlocked. Even with the lower downforce, we were still, you know, there were no holes, there was no bubble to separate the cars.”
The race produced 41 lead changes and four cautions. Ryan Preece won his first NASCAR Cup Series race in overtime, with Daniel Suárez second and Tyler Reddick third. Christopher Bell finished 17th.
NASCAR will use the same package at Talladega Superspeedway in October during The Chase. Bell made clear that the first Daytona test did not match what he expected.
“I expected it to be a lot different. It wasn’t different at all, and it was worse with the fuel mileage and the stage links that we had tonight.”
NASCAR Cup Series Driver Hits Out After Daytona Package Creates Another Fuel-Saving Problem