BOISE, Idaho — This past weekend, BodyBuilding.Com/Minegar Racing driver Craig Bell of Kuna, Idaho scored perhaps the biggest victory of his career winning the CarbonX Rocky Mountain Challenge Series portion of the Idaho “200” weekend at Stateline Stadium Speedway in Post Falls, Idaho. Bell crossed the finish line ahead of championship rivals Zan Sharp, John Dillon, John Newhouse, and Jeff Jefferson. All five drivers are in the top five of the championship standings and the victory allowed Bell to close the gap in the standings, albeit slightly.
Bell knows that in order to keep his championship hopes alive he needs strong qualifying efforts the rest of the year. And while he only managed a sixth best in qualifying, he also knows that finishing strong and being patient will go a long way. His qualifying effort placed him tenth on the grid for the 100-lap NAPA Auto Care Centers Duel for the “200” that included series regulars and several local Late Model drivers from the Spokane area.
Bell steadily worked his way to the front of the competitive field from his tenth place starting position and by lap 43 was up to the third position. One lap later he moved by INSSA regular Jeff Fenton for second and then set sail after race leader Zan Sharp. Sharp has won two series titles and was Friday night’s INSSA feature winner but Bell has a lot of experience on quarter mile ovals after winning countless championship on the Meridian (ID) Speedway bullring. Bell used some of that patience and experience to get around the two-time champion on the outside of turn four on lap 66.
Bell maintained his advantage over Sharp over the final 33 laps although it was no easy feat. The win was Bell’s fourth career triumph and first for car owner Pat Minegar.
“This was just an awesome race,” Bell said from victory lane. “This whole BodyBuilding.Com/Minegar Racing team was perfect tonight. This is not an easy place to get around and we really had a great car for the race. This is perhaps one of the biggest wins of my career and I couldn’t be happier for my car owner Pat Minegar. I know we put on a good show for the fans and I am just glad that we were able to come out on top.”
Bell maintains fourth in the championship standings after his victory and closed the gap on third to only 5-points and 122-points behind point leader John Dillon. Bell also competed in the Idaho “200” on Sunday but fell victim to mechanical issues forcing him out of the event early.
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 four career series victories. The next event for BodyBuilding.Com/Minegar Racing is Saturday, August 22 at Rocky Mountain Raceways located outside Salt Lake City, Utah. The NAPA Auto Parts “125” is one of the biggest auto races of the season for the RMCS at the ultra-fast 3/8-mile paved. Last season, Bell finished 8th and Minegar 9th in the NAPA “125”. 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 ten wins, claimed 22 fast time awards, completed over 8,785 laps in competition, and has 51 top five and 78 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
