Christopher Bell fractured his left wrist last weekend at Michigan International Speedway in what was the hardest crash of the Next Gen era. Yet despite sporting a brand new cast on his left arm, he will be back in the lineup for Sunday's Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway.
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He will just use a smaller steering wheel built by Max Papis to help him better tackle the Tricky Triangle, and he will have a reconfigured cockpit with his essential gear moved over to the right.
"Right now, I'm pretty much driving the car one-handed," Bell told media members on Saturday at Pocono. "I can hold the wheel a little bit, and I think, enough to shift. Shifting on the straightaways here at Pocono is, I think, is going to be doable."
The crash occurred on Lap 148 at Michigan. Chase Elliott lost control of his car, which sent it sideways into Bell's car. Bell slammed into the SAFER barrier between Turns 3 and 4 and deformed the steel barriers.
The Joe Gibbs Racing driver fractured his wrist and experienced pain in his ankle during this hit that he said was 63 Gs. However, he avoided a concussion or any other major injuries.
The wrist injury means that Bell will deal with some pain in the coming weeks, but he will be able to suit up for Sunday's Cup Series race at Pocono (1 p.m. ET on Prime Video), as well as next weekend at Naval Base Coronado.
But while Bell expects to complete all 400 miles of the Pocono race, he will have a reserve driver on hand as a precaution. O'Reilly Auto Parts Series veteran Brandon Jones will be available to take over the No. 20 Toyota if needed.
"(Jones) came and sat through all of our sim sessions this week to make sure that he was up to speed," Bell said. "He did a great job driving the simulator as well.
"So yeah, I think that it's either going to be like I'm going to commit to the race and I'm going to do it, or I'm going to be out and just start and ride around until the first (caution). But as of right now, I'm full commit planning on running 400 miles."
