Title contender Christopher Bell said he’s talked to Daniel Suarez since wrecking Suarez last weekend at the Charlotte Roval but admits “I’m sure he’s going to be coming after me, which is not ideal going into the next four races.”
This marks the second playoffs in a row that Bell’s actions have put Suarez into the wall.
Bell hit the back of Suarez’s car last weekend at the Roval, causing Suarez to crash. They were racing for 11th with 15 laps to go when the incident happened.
“Certainly I didn’t mean to get into him,” Bell said Wednesday in response to a question asked by NBC Sports. “Him and I have had run-ins in the past. That’s the last guy I wanted to get into and have a problem with moving forward.
“I reached out to him and told him that it wasn’t intentional, but, we, I’m sure he’s going to be coming after me, which is not ideal going into the next four races. It’s a mistake, and I’ll have to keep that in the back of my head moving forward.”
Bell is one of the remaining playoff drivers in the Round of 8, which begins Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (2:30 p.m. ET on NBC). He is sixth in the standings, eight points from the final transfer spot to next month’s championship race. Suarez failed to make the playoffs.
Bell said he’ll take extra care when racing around Suarez.
“I just have to be smart whenever I’m around him, certainly give him as much room as possible,” Bell said.
“It is what it is. It was not a smart move on my behalf (at the Roval). It was a mistake. It wasn’t like that was a move I was trying to do, but I should have been more mindful of the position that I was in and where we’re at in that race. Not ideal. I’ll just have to pay attention moving forward and do the best I can.”
Last year in the playoffs at Darlington, Bell and Suarez were racing for position late in the second stage when they made contact, which sent Suarez into the wall.
Suarez said after that race: “Whenever I need, I’m going to get him back. I’m not saying it’s going to be Kansas or Bristol. He definitely owes me one and I’m going to save that for later.”
Bell called that contact a “mistake from me” and later said he would have to “watch my back” from that point on while racing Suarez.
