BOISE, Idaho — Craig Bell out of Kuna, Idaho and driver of the BodyBuilding.Com/Minegar Racing Chevrolet has quietly made a name for himself in the CarbonX Rocky Mountain Challenge Series by being one of the smoothest and most respected drivers on the tour. While smooth and respected will not change, this Saturday night at Rocky Mountain Raceway outside Salt Lake City, Utah, Bell plans to make some noise in round five of the championship series.
Bell has reason for his optimistic smile, albeit, not necessarily by virtue of the best set of circumstances. Bell’s teammate and two-time series champion Dave Minegar exchanges his helmet for a crew chief hat after destroying his racecar two weeks ago at Meridian Speedway. “I would much rather have Dave on the race track competing but having him lead the team means an awful lot to me,” Bell said. Dave is perhaps one of the best race car drivers I have ever raced against and he knows how to get it done. Having Dave set up the car and tune on it is a real big deal. I can’t wait to get to RMR.”
Bell, not know as a great qualifier, knows that if he is to contend for the championship then he will need to improve in that area. “Dave is the best at qualifying and getting to the front,” Bell continued. “I have always been able to race well, but have struggled to qualify fast. This weekend we have car that can set fast time and win. Just the kinds of things we have been doing in the shop the past couple of weeks have made a big difference.”
While qualifying is critical in the RMCS, every driver wants to win and Bell has victory on his mind. “I have been able to get into contention but not seal the deal,” Bell said. “If the races were 30 laps less I might have won a few more. You need to save the car for the last 25 laps and I have a habit of using it up too early then I have to hang on. We plan to change that this weekend.”
With temperatures expected in the triple digits this weekend, most drivers will have their hands full navigating a greasy racing surface. But that may just play into Bell’s hands. “My engine is down a few horsepower from some of the guys and that will be an advantage on Saturday,” Bell stated. “RMR gets real slick in the heat so you need to be easy on the throttle and with our set up I think we will be really good. Pat Minegar (owner) has given me great equipment and we are in contention every race. I would love to put Pat back in victory lane.” (Bell has 3 career series victories prior to joining Minegar Racing)
Dave Minegar agrees. “Even though I am out of the car for the next few races, I am really looking forward to supporting Craig,” Minegar said. “There is no doubt Craig can drive the car into the top five at the end of the race (he always does), but we all want to see that 99 in victory lane. Just being part of the BodyBuilding.com/Minegar Racing team is exciting and I am looking forward to the race.”
With winning on everyone’s mind, the bigger picture is still the championship. And this year’s championship is shaping up to be a great battle of veterans. John Dillon holds the top spot over Jeff Jefferson, both former NASCAR champions. Bell sits third. “I want to win races but I also want a championship,” Bell said. “But if we are to claim either one of those, we are going to have to go through John and Jeff and that is not easy. Those guys can really make you look silly if you are not prepared. I grew up watching John (Dillon) race and he became one of my heroes. Jeff (Jefferson), well his record speaks for itself. Those guys have raised the bar in the series and forced us to work twice as hard. We are ready. And we are ready to win!”
Bell is just 92 points behind point leader John Dillon and remains in contention for the title in the third position after four events. Minegar though falls from first to sixth in the standings after a losing his car at Meridian and will not contend for the title this season but that is a blessing in disguise. “My wife (Heidi) and I are expecting our first child in three weeks so that is what I am focusing my attention on,” Minegar said.
Minegar Racing is sponsored by BodyBuilding.com, Redline, Ultimate Nutrition, Supreme Nutrition, Muscletech, SciFit, Gaspari Nutrition, A-1 Heating and Air Conditioning, and Dillon Auto Craft. Both Minegar and Bell are in their sixth season in the CarbonX Rocky Mountain Challenge Series. Dave Minegar is a two-time series champion (06, 08) and Craig Bell has three career series victories. The next event for BodyBuilding.Com/Minegar Racing is Saturday, July 18 at Rocky Mountain Raceways located outside Salt Lake city, Utah. For the latest news about the series log onto to www.rmcsracing.com and please visit www.bodybuilding.com for all of your exercise and nutrition needs.
About Minegar Racing
Minegar Racing is a first-class two car race team featuring drivers Dave Minegar and Craig Bell. The team is owned by Pat Minegar and is based in Boise, Idaho. The team competes in the CarbonX Rocky Mountain Challenge Series, an intermountain west based stock car series that competes primarily in Idaho and Utah. Minegar Racing has competed on the RMCS for six seasons and has won two series championships, scored nine wins, claimed 22 fast time awards, completed over 8,585 laps in competition, and has 50 top five and 76 top ten finishes along with numerous track records.
About BodyBuilding.Com
Bodybuilding.com is the world's most visited bodybuilding website for sports nutrition products to customers around the world. Bodybuilding.com boasts impressive numbers and ranking with these achievements:
• Most Visited Bodybuilding And Fitness Site In The World
• #1 Sports Nutrition E-Retailer
• 2-Time Inc. 500 Company 2005-2006
• Ranked Number 1391 On Alexa's Most Visited Web Sites
• 200,000+ Unique Daily Visitors
• One of America's Top 500 E-Retailers, and;
• One of the Top 75 Companies of the Idaho Private 75
