Christopher Bell to race for Leavine Family Racing in 2020

By Michael Heilman

Current NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing will move up to the Monster Energy Cup Series next year in the number 95 car for Leavine Family Racing in 2020. Bell, who is currently in the hunt for his first Xfinity Series title will take over the ride after Leavine Family Racing announced last month that they were letting Matt DiBenedetto go after the 2019 season.

“Since I was young, I wanted to make a career out of racing,” Bell said in a team release. “To take this next step and race in the NASCAR Cup Series with the support of LFR, JGR and Toyota is just a dream come true. It also means a lot to me to have Rheem make the move to Cup racing with me. I wouldn’t be in the position I am today without their support and I’m also excited to have the opportunity to represent Procore now. Bell continued, “Having been under the JGR banner these past seasons in the Xfinity Series and with TRD for as long as I can remember, having their continued support as I transition to LFR is extremely comforting and will be a tremendous benefit to me.”

Leavine Family Racing also announced that Jason Ratcliff will be Bell’s crew chief, Ratcliff is Bell’s current crew chef in the Xfinity Series. Ratcliff spent six seasons in the Monster Energy Cup Series as a crew chief for Matt Kenseth. Current crew chief of Leavine Family Racing Mike Wheeler will also remain with the team.

Bell got his NASCAR career started in 2015 in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West. In 2016, Bell moved to the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series for Kyle Busch Motorsports where he started fifty-four races for four years, winning seven races, forty-one top ten finishes, ten poles and winning the 2017 NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series championship. After the 2017 season, Bell moved to the NASCAR Xfinity Series where he currently has sixty-eight career starts, winning fifteen races, forty-four top ten finishes and ten poles.

The 24-year-old Norman, OK native will make his NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series debut at the 2020 Daytona 500 on February 16th.

Leavine Family Racing owner Bob Leavine said in a statement “I’ve said from the start, I want this team to be competitive,” he continued saying “Christopher is one of the most talented drivers we’ve seen come up through NASCAR’s ranks and together, with JGR and Toyota’s support, I’m confident our team will continue to grow, just as it has this past year.”

Bell will continue his quest to win his first NASCAR Xfinity Series championship. He has already locked himself up to the round of eight with his win last Friday in Richmond Raceway. This weekend, the Xfinity Series will tackle the Charlotte Motor Speedway roval track on Saturday, September 28th at 2:30 pm on NBC.

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