The profound lines from the animated series BoJack Horseman, “In this terrifying world, all we have are connections that we make,” seem to strike a chord with many. However, these connections are marked with a sense of impermanence owing to life’s transitoriness. The same can be asserted for Christopher Bell and his former and late mentor. Despite being an indispensable part of JGR since 2021, when it comes to understanding the trades and nuances in the world of racing, Bell owes it all to Rick Ferkel, his first sprint car owner. 

As a seasoned Cup Series driver, Christopher Bell has proved to be a force to reckon with. However, in superspeedways, the #20 Toyota driver has tasted a minuscule amount of success on these tracks. As a result, hoping to change the prevailing narrative, and to provide a befitting farewell to his late mentor, the driver soared on the tracks of Daytona and clinched the chequered in the second half of Bluegreen Vacations Duel, subbing his team owner Joe Gibbs.

Christopher Bell shows his indebtedness to his departed mentor

Ferkel, who himself was a sprint car legend and Sprint Car Hall of Famer inductee, had not only provided a platform to the JGR driver to showcase his racing skills but also chiseled him to be the best version of himself through his wise mentorship. Although Bell transitioned to the cut-throat nature of the racing world, he did not forget the teachings of his teacher. Time and again, he has reiterated Ferkel’s importance in his life. Owing to this, the #20 Joe Gibbs Racing driver instead of Joe Gibbs dedicated the victory that he earned in the Daytona duel to his late mentor Rick Ferkel.

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In a Twitter post, the driver who lost his mentor on January 1, 2024, at the age of 84, posted an image from the inside of his car with an orange sticker pasted on the dashboard of the car. The sticker read, “In Memory of Rick Ferkel, the Ohio Traveler.” Bell also captioned the post, “Thanks Rick.” Ferkel was nicknamed the Ohio Traveler because of his countrywide participation in the sprint series.

Speaking of Bell’s victory, after starting 16th in the race, the driver, in a deft manner, was able to navigate his way on the tri-oval track of Daytona and dodge a multi-car pileup. Moreover, the climax of the race occurred in the final lap of the race, when he led in the final lap of the race, after outfoxing his teammate Denny Hamlin and Austin Cindric, eventually crossing the start-finish line before the whole pack.

While Bell swept the second duel, it was his Toyota teammate Tyler Reddick, who dominated the first half of the duel. And he was completely blown away by the new car’s performance.

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Tyler Reddick shares his admiration for the new version of Toyota Camry

Like Bell, he started the race at the back of the grid in the 19th position. However, he was able to outmaneuver the race leader Kyle Larson in the final lap of the race. 

Starting in the second row on Sunday, an elated Reddick in his post-race interview stated, “This new Toyota Camry is truly a beast. It was a lot of fun to drive. It’s great to get this Nasty Beast Toyota in victory lane, that’s for sure. As for me, I’m still making a lot of mistakes, but I had a good restart. It was a lot of fun tonight.”

However, he did not shy away from stating his longstanding problem while entering the pit road and hitting something.

Nevertheless, with two Toyota drivers stealing the show in the Duel, it will be interesting to see if either of the drivers is able to clinch the much-coveted trophy in the final commencement of the race on Sunday.

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