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Christopher Bell isn’t completely healed.
But for the first time since fracturing his left wrist at Michigan International Speedway nearly a month ago, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver finally feels like he’s moving in the right direction.
Bell confirmed Saturday at Chicagoland Speedway that he has traded the cast on his injured wrist for a removable splint, an encouraging milestone as he continues working back toward full strength. While the change won’t immediately improve how he drives the No. 20 Toyota, it signals that his recovery is progressing on schedule after weeks of competing through discomfort.
It also comes at an important point in Bell’s season.
Following a difficult stretch that threatened to derail his championship hopes, Bell rebounded with a fifth-place finish at Sonoma and will roll off sixth for Sunday’s Cup Series race at Chicagoland.
Although Bell is no longer wearing a hard cast, he admitted the splint doesn’t suddenly restore full movement.
“I mean, the pain level has been low ever since the beginning but I would say my ability to drive the car is the same as what it has been,” Bell said. “I just keep using the word clunky. Like, I just can’t be quick and precise with the wheel.
“I had a cast on my arm, and now I’ve got the splint, but my mobility is the same. So hopefully I can regain movement of my left wrist here shortly and get back to normal.”
Bell added that the goal had always been to remove the cast before Chicagoland.
“The goal was to be out of the cast for Chicago, and I don’t have a cast on my arm anymore, so that’s really good,” he said. “But honestly, the cast, the splint … I can wear a normal fire suit, which is nice, and I can wear it close to my normal glove, which is nicer, but my mobility of my wrist is still the same as it would be in a cast.”
Because next week’s race at Atlanta Motor Speedway carries significantly higher crash risk, Bell said the team plans to return to the cast for added protection.
“I think we’re going to take a step backwards and go back to a cast for Atlanta just with the nature of the beast there and make sure that I have the maximum protection that I can have,” Bell said.
The injury came at one of the worst possible times.
Bell crashed while battling for the lead at Michigan, then endured difficult races at Pocono and San Diego before finally stopping the slide with a top-five finish at Sonoma. That result lifted him back to 10th in the Cup Series standings and provided momentum entering Chicagoland.
Despite the encouraging progress, Bell acknowledged the team still has work to do after showing flashes of race-winning speed mixed with finishes well outside the top 20.
“Oh boy, we have them both covered right now,” Bell said. “It seems like the lowest of lows and the highest of highs are our capability every single weekend. That’s our weakness right now. We need to elevate our floor, and once we do that, we’ll be in good shape.”
Bell said his hope is to be completely out of any protective covering within the next few weeks, potentially by North Wilkesboro or Indianapolis.
For now, simply replacing the cast with a splint represents the first tangible sign that the recovery is moving forward.
After spending much of June wondering whether his championship hopes would fade along with his health, Bell finally has something positive to build on heading into the second half of the season.
Continue reading...
But for the first time since fracturing his left wrist at Michigan International Speedway nearly a month ago, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver finally feels like he’s moving in the right direction.
Bell confirmed Saturday at Chicagoland Speedway that he has traded the cast on his injured wrist for a removable splint, an encouraging milestone as he continues working back toward full strength. While the change won’t immediately improve how he drives the No. 20 Toyota, it signals that his recovery is progressing on schedule after weeks of competing through discomfort.
It also comes at an important point in Bell’s season.
Following a difficult stretch that threatened to derail his championship hopes, Bell rebounded with a fifth-place finish at Sonoma and will roll off sixth for Sunday’s Cup Series race at Chicagoland.
Christopher Bell says the splint won’t change how he drives… yet
Although Bell is no longer wearing a hard cast, he admitted the splint doesn’t suddenly restore full movement.
“I mean, the pain level has been low ever since the beginning but I would say my ability to drive the car is the same as what it has been,” Bell said. “I just keep using the word clunky. Like, I just can’t be quick and precise with the wheel.
“I had a cast on my arm, and now I’ve got the splint, but my mobility is the same. So hopefully I can regain movement of my left wrist here shortly and get back to normal.”
Bell added that the goal had always been to remove the cast before Chicagoland.
“The goal was to be out of the cast for Chicago, and I don’t have a cast on my arm anymore, so that’s really good,” he said. “But honestly, the cast, the splint … I can wear a normal fire suit, which is nice, and I can wear it close to my normal glove, which is nicer, but my mobility of my wrist is still the same as it would be in a cast.”
Because next week’s race at Atlanta Motor Speedway carries significantly higher crash risk, Bell said the team plans to return to the cast for added protection.
“I think we’re going to take a step backwards and go back to a cast for Atlanta just with the nature of the beast there and make sure that I have the maximum protection that I can have,” Bell said.
Bell believes better days are ahead
The injury came at one of the worst possible times.
Bell crashed while battling for the lead at Michigan, then endured difficult races at Pocono and San Diego before finally stopping the slide with a top-five finish at Sonoma. That result lifted him back to 10th in the Cup Series standings and provided momentum entering Chicagoland.
Despite the encouraging progress, Bell acknowledged the team still has work to do after showing flashes of race-winning speed mixed with finishes well outside the top 20.
“Oh boy, we have them both covered right now,” Bell said. “It seems like the lowest of lows and the highest of highs are our capability every single weekend. That’s our weakness right now. We need to elevate our floor, and once we do that, we’ll be in good shape.”
Bell said his hope is to be completely out of any protective covering within the next few weeks, potentially by North Wilkesboro or Indianapolis.
For now, simply replacing the cast with a splint represents the first tangible sign that the recovery is moving forward.
After spending much of June wondering whether his championship hopes would fade along with his health, Bell finally has something positive to build on heading into the second half of the season.
Continue reading...
