The Crowd Responded With A Heartfelt Roar
“This one’s for Charlie,” Christopher Bell stated in a post-race interview at Bristol Motor Speedway.
There, 30-year-old Bell, who drives the No. 20 Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing, won his fourth victory of the season on Saturday, September 13, at the NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops Night Race.
It was also his first victory at the famed Bristol track.
Bell’s comment were said moments before he claimed the checkered flag at the end of the race, and his mentioning of Charlie Kirk was met with a heartfelt roar from the audience.
Just three days earlier, on September 10, the influential conservative Charlie Kirk, who was the founder of Turning Point USA, was killed while addressing students at Utah Valley University.
The killing of the 31-year-old, who leaves behind his wife, Erika, and their two children, has inspired vigils across the country, with tributes made by many, from politicians to country music stars.
“This week’s obviously been a tough week, and, you know, there’s a lot on our mind,” Bell stated of the shooting, adding that Charlie’s death was “most importantly” on his mind.
Watch Bell dedicate his win at Bristol to the late Charlie Kirk in the second slide of NASCAR’s Instagram post, and listen to the crowd’s response, here:
RELATED: Charlie Kirk’s Wife, Erika, Speaks For The First Time Following His Death
Bell Discusses The Significance Of His Bristol Victory
“[Winning] is what makes your career,” Bell said during a post race press conference at Bristol. “It’s what makes your status in the industry.”
He then admitted, “I haven’t won enough.”
Bristol is Bell’s 13th victory, with the driver having started racing in NASCAR in 2015.
One question looked to the chaos of the September 13 race, to which Bell replied, “A win’s a win, no matter what, but, certainly, you enjoy those dominant days because that meant that you were the best car that day.”
Watch the driver speak on how his victory came about at Bristol, here:
