Krista Voda: Phoenix race provides ‘homecoming weekend’ for T.J. Bell
Red Horse Racing's T.J. Bell is 16th in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series standings heading into Friday's race at Phoenix International Raceway.
// David Griffin, NASCAR Scene
COMMENTARY
T.J. Bell is a West Coast guy with West Coast style. You’ll often find the Red Horse Racing driver wearing his trademark flat-brimmed hat, white sunglasses and crazy shoes. Think Scott Speed, only in the Camping World Truck Series.
Whether it’s fashion or food, the Reno native always enjoys heading west because he blends in with the crowd and has a chance to visit In-N-Out Burger.
Bell will have family and friends in attendance this weekend at Phoenix International Raceway, but even when work travel carries him across the country, he’s still never far from his Reno roots.
Bell, 29, and his fiancée, Alexis, met in their hometown. How they came to know each other is a tale worth telling. T.J.’s father, Tim, was friends with his dentist,
Alexis’ dad, and the two conspired to set their kids up on a date. Fathers know best, evidently. Seven years later, Alexis is still with T.J. for literally every mile of the journey.
The couple is crisscrossing the country in a motorhome, accompanied by three dogs and a growing reputation as the Truck series’ version of the Griswolds. They will have ventured from Talladega to Texas and then on to Phoenix during this most recent three-week stretch of the schedule.
Tim Bell drives the motorcoach on occasion, too. T.J.’s mother, Linda, is often along for the ride assisting with paperwork and trying to find sponsorship.
T.J. surrounds himself with the same folks he grew up with in Reno, and essentially brings the West Coast with him wherever he goes. That should continue well into the future.
Around the time the series visited Martinsville in March, T.J. asked for Alexis’ hand in marriage and a December 2010 wedding date has been set.
It’s been an up-and-down season for Bell and his No. 11 Red Horse Racing team. After beginning the year with finishes of 11th at Daytona and a season-high fifth at Auto Club Speedway, Bell did not crack the top 10 again until race No. 14 at Nashville. While crew chief Rick Gay has been a constant all season, new truck chief Tim Rice could be the missing link for Bell.
The future is somewhat uncertain for Bell, who does not have a full-time ride for 2010. Team owner Tom DeLoach wants him back at Red Horse Racing, but the deal is contingent on sponsorship.
Laid-back by nature, but given to high-adrenaline pursuits such as skydiving and wakeboarding, Bell will take to the sand dunes later this month with fellow Truck competitor Matt Crafton.
First, though, he’ll revel in the chance to be back out West racing in front of family and friends at Phoenix.
Krista Voda hosts the popular SPEED prerace show NCWTS Setup, leading into each NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race. Voda is also a regular host on The SPEED Report and serves as a pit reporter for NASCAR on FOX coverage of the Sprint Cup Series.
