(July 20, 2003 - Concord, NC) TJ Bell and his No. 86 Speed Motorsports Management Chevy still have not had luck on their side. Bell even carried a small "tinker bell" sticker over his left shoulder, hoping she would give him the luck he needed. No such luck! With the weekend beginning with the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series qualifying getting rained out, the team had to start the Missouri - Illinois Dodge Dealers Ram Tough 200 by their position in the points standing. The 19th place start immediately brought changes to be made to the No. 86 Speed Motorsports Management Chevy. Bell having run this track previously in the Toyota Atlantics series, knew that there would be less down force in the corners, besides having 400 more horsepower.
As he started the race off, Bell felt he had too much front brake. After a caution on lap 28, Bell brought his No. 86 Chevy into the pits for gas and some changes to his brakes. "After the pit stop, the truck started handling much better," commented Bell. "The truck started dialing in on the track after we took some tape off the front during a caution on lap 35. Everything was going great until lap 92."
On lap 92, after Bell was exiting turn 2, his front brake rotor broke, cutting his rear tire down. After slamming into the wall hard, Bell was done for the remainder of the race. "The pedal just went to the floor, I tried to pump it to get it back but it just wasn't happening. At that point, I knew I was just along for the ride," replied Bell. TJ Bell was just trying to put the three week bad luck streak behind him. Unfortunately, it wasn't happening today. "I am beginning to think that the crew is changing my number on the truck from No. 86 to No. 13 after I get in the truck," replied Bell.
The next NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event will take place at the Michigan International Speedway. It will be broadcast live Saturday, July 26, 2003 at 1 pm ET on Speed.
