Christopher Bell is focusing on the present—for now

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News of Kasey Kahne’s impending departure from full-time NASCAR racing put the rumor mill into overdrive.

With Kahne’s current Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series team, Leavine Family Racing, reportedly contemplating a manufacturer switch from Chevrolet to Toyota, there was speculation that Joe Gibbs Racing phenom Christopher Bell might step into a Cup ride with LFR.

During an appearance at the Bristol motor Speedway media center on Thursday, Bell put the brakes on that notion.

“That was all news to me,” Bell said of Kahne’s announcement. “Right now, I’ve got a great group of people, getting to drive for all of our partners at Ruud and Rheem, GameStop, and I’ve got great race cars at Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota support.

“Right now, the only thing I’ve got is that I’m finishing out this year, and then next year I’m going for the Xfinity championship again with all of our same partners.”

Bell has four victories in the series this year and currently tops the standings with a 17-point lead over Elliott Sadler and Daniel Hemric, who are tied for second though last Saturday’s race at Mid-Ohio.

Greg Engle
About Greg Engle 7421 Articles
Greg is a published award winning sportswriter who spent 23 years combined active and active reserve military service, much of that in and around the Special Operations community. Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.