Date: March 4, 2017
Event: Active Pest Control 200 (Race 2 of 23)
Series: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Location: Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway (1.54-mile oval)
Format: Three Stages; 40 laps/40 laps/50 laps
Start/Finish: 2/26 (running, completed 127 of 130 laps)
Winner: Christopher Bell of Kyle Busch Motorsports (Toyota)
Kyle Busch and the No. 51 Toyota Racing team ran upfront and led the field for 25 laps before a tire issue resulted in a 26th-place finish in the Active Pest Control 200 at Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS).
First Stage Recap:
- Busch started the race on the front row beside pole-sitter and KBM teammate Christopher Bell
- While battling a tight Toyota Tundra, Busch stayed near the front of the field for the first stage. When the caution flew at the end of the segment Busch was scored in the second position
Second Stage Recap:
- During the start of the second stage Busch got shuffled back on the restart to the fifth position, but quickly made his way back to running in the second position
- When the second stage completed, KBM drivers were running first (Bell) and second (Busch)
Third Stage Recap:
- After a fast four-tire pit stop, The No. 51 Cessna Toyota Tundra started the third stage leading the field to the green. The Las Vegas-native led for 25 laps until a caution came out on Lap 103
- Busch restarted in the sixth position with 18 laps to go, but a right-side tire went down resulting in him bouncing off the wall and causing damage to the truck
- The No. 51 Racing Team assessed the damage and when the checkered flag waved Busch was scored three laps down in the 26th position
KYLE BUSCH, driver of the No. 51 Cessna Tundra for Kyle Busch Motorsports:
What makes Christopher Bell successful?
“I think it’s just a true testament to everybody at KBM (Kyle Busch Motorsports) that does such a great job building fast trucks, you know? I think that that’s the first opportunity you’ve got to give these younger drivers and then from there, they have to have the knowledge to be able to go out there and succeed in that equipment and we saw it last year. Christopher’s (Bell) now won three years in a row in the Truck Series, which is really cool. We saw it last year with William (Byron) being successful and being able to move on and Christopher is now kind of taking the reins of KBM and being the elder statesman here and the experienced guy in being able to kind of be our lead dog for the championship, so certainly it’s been really fun to watch him and to see him progress from last year into this year and to see the calmness and everything even how crazy Daytona was to see how he came out of that and then to come here and have the focus to just go out there and be fast right off the truck and do all the right things in the race, you know? There was never going to be a chance I was going to catch him, so it certainly looked good from my vantage point to watch a KBM truck out in front of me while I was running second.”
Active Pest Control 200 Recap:
- KBM driver Christopher Bell earned his first 2017 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory after leading a race-high 99 laps. Fellow Toyota driver Matt Crafton finished in the runner-up position, while Johnny Sauter, Ben Rhodes and Chase Elliott rounded out the top-five finishers.
- The race featured eight cautions for a total of 38 laps. There were six lead changes among four drivers.
How Busch’s KBM Teammates Fared:
Noah Gragson, driver of the No. 18 Toyota, finished 14th
Christopher Bell, driver of the No. 4 Toyota, finished first
NCWTS Owner Championship Standings:
The No. 51 Toyota Racing team is now ninth in the Truck Series Owner Championship Standings.
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