Recovering from a broken wrist he suffered during a violent crash June 7 at Michigan International Speedway, Christopher Bell says he was pain-free after turning practice laps Friday at San Diego Street Course at Naval Base Coronado.
That doesn’t mean he’s worry-free. Bell’s main concern is to avoid jeopardizing the progress he has made during the healing process as he navigates the rugged 3.4-mile, 16-turn circuit.
“I will say that it is a very high-risk race track,” Bell acknowledged. “I can’t afford any setbacks. I’m already two weeks into the healing process now, so the goal certainly is to get back to 100 percent as quick as possible, and we’ll see what happens.
“Any sort of miscalculation on the apex walls or wheel-to-wheel contact, and the wheel jerks in my hand—those are the kinds of things I think we’re all worried about.”
After driving at Pocono Raceway last weekend, Bell has a fresh cast on his left arm. He also has O’Reilly Auto Parts Series pole winner and teenage prodigy Brent Crews standing by as a potential relief driver.
Bell, who qualified 37th on Saturday, says he and crew chief Adam Stevens will talk before the race and determine if and when they might use Crews’ services.
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