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Christopher Bell's crew chief Adam Stevens believes NASCAR's decision to push back the restart zone at the Circuit of the Americas will have a massive effect on spreading out the cars heading into the uphill Turn 1.
The 2023 Cup race at COTA witnessed a triple overtime finish due to repeated pile-ups at Turn 1. Last year, the restart zone was located just before the start-finish line, prompting drivers in the back to dive bomb into the first corner.
After witnessing the messy finish to the race, NASCAR decided to push back the restart zone to spread out the field heading into the first corner. The new restart zone is located closer to the final corner and will allow the drivers at the front of the pack to accelerate away.
Christopher Bell's crew chief Adam Stevens claimed that this move by NASCAR will have a massive implication on restarts. He said in a recent interview with SiriusXM NASCAR radio:
"The restart zone is so close to Turn 20, that you might only have two or three rows out of the corner before the leader has the opportunity to accelerate. So the other guys are gonna have to weasel around that corner while the leader is going through gears on the frontstretch."
"It's going to have a massive effect on spreading out the field, especially the front part of the field. The rest of the people that have to go through the corner are gonna be a little bit more bunched up than those first few rows."
The #20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota crew chief added that restarts will not be chaotic and will look a lot different compared to the first corner melee from last season. He also stated that the new restart zone will incentivize the leaders to accelerate much earlier to leave the pack behind.
Christopher Bell's crew chief reckoned that the restart zone could also have potential implications on strategy. He believes drivers starting in the midfield with fresher tires will not have much of an advantage.
Christopher Bell hoping for a turnaround at COTA
The #20 Joe Gibbs Racing driver has mixed results at the Circuit of the Americas. In his three starts on the 3.42-mile track for JGR, Bell has recorded two retirements and a third-place finish in 2022.
Riding on the momentum from recent weeks, Christopher Bell hopes to have a good run this weekend. Previewing the event, he said (via Speedway Digest):
"I love the racetrack at COTA, but it hasn't really been good to me yet, so it's not one that I have circled... It's always a challenge going there because it's such a long racetrack, the lap times are really long and there are a lot of areas that are really important. A lot of corners to make up lap time, it's unique and a place that I need a good run at this weekend."
Bell starts on the second row for the EchoPark Automotive GP, scheduled for this Sunday, March 24, at 3:30 PM ET.
