SBRS: Townsend Bell Impresses at Phoenix Practice

Townsend Bell Impresses at Phoenix Practice

Phoenix, AZ (April 15, 1999)-- Townsend Bell, who on the first day of testing at Phoenix International Raceway's one mile banked oval netted the fastest lap, proved consistent in the following two days of practice. On the second day, Bell posted the 5th fastest lap; on the third and final day, he captured the 2nd fastest time of the day and the entire test.

Bell, whose previous experience includes the '98 Barber Dodge Series, the '97 Formula Dodge Series, and sprint kart racing, enjoyed his first time on an oval: "I was not sure what to expect, but I was quite comfortable from the start," reports Bell. Phoenix, a mile-long banked tri-oval, is quite fast, and presented Bell a new challenge in setting up a car that sees mostly road courses. Bell recounted, "The changes I made in the car's setup during the day were more readily apparent than usual, and its responsiveness exaggerated by the high speeds we saw on the oval."

The three day practice at Phoenix was to get drivers up to speed on an oval in anticipation of the 60-lap race at Nazareth Speedway in Nazareth, PA May 22, where they will share the weekend with the NASCAR Busch Grand National and Featherlite Modified series. Nazareth will be the 2nd race out of this year's 12 race Barber Dodge Season.

Jeff Simmons, the reigning Barber Dodge champ, posted the fastest lap of the entire practice on the third day-- with Bell a scant nine-hundredth's of a second behind. Having beat out drivers with oval track experience for the second fastest time overall, Bell is confident going into Nazareth: "Though the layout of Nazareth is different than Phoenix, and I feel that with what we learned setting up the car here, we'll be ready.

If Townsend Bell can prove himself as fast a learner at Nazareth as he was at Phoenix, we can expect a strong performance. Bell would like to thank DirecPC and PC World Magazine for their continued support in the 1999 season, and hopes to put the #25 DirecPC Reynard Dodge on the podium at Nazareth. For more information on Townsend Bell, please explore his website at http://www.townsendbell.com/.