This year, as part of Darlington’s annual Throwback Weekend, Christopher Bell is getting sentimental.
The Norman, Oklahoma-native is set to honor his racing mentor, Rick Ferkel, with a pair of paint schemes in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Cup Series events in Darlington, South Carolina, scheduled to take place on Saturday, April 5, and Sunday, April 6.
Bell will pilot the No. 19 SportsClips Toyota GR Supra in Saturday’s Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help A Hero 200 for the NASCAR Xfinity Series, before going to work on Sunday in his No. 20 DeWalt Power Tools Toyota Camry XSE in the NASCAR Cup Series. Both paint schemes will feature throwback schemes designed to replicate some of Rick’s most recognizable car designs.
The 30-year-old driver credits Ferkel with giving him his introduction and a break into the sprint car racing world. Known as the “Ohio Traveler”, Ferkel has been providing Bell with guidance as he’s climbed up the ranks of dirt racing and into the world of NASCAR. Ferkel was also an original member of the World of Outlaws.
Ferkel passed away on January 1, 2024, at the age of 84. Each week in the NASCAR Cup Series, Bell honors Ferkel with a decal on the dash of his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing entry.
“Rick [Ferkel] really helped me on the national scene by giving me my first opportunity in a full-blown sprint car,” said Christopher Bell. “He hired me to drive a sprint car when I was a 16-year-old kid. I moved in with him and his family for a while. After I left Rick Ferkel Racing, he became a life mentor, a driver coach, and someone that I would lean on every week for advice, and he’d check in to see how I was doing. Rick always preached to me to make sure I drove as hard as I could at all times, and I’m honored to get to pay tribute to him at Darlington.”
Both of Bell’s Darlington car designs will feature a silver greenhouse area to mimic the look and feel of a sprint car wing. Rick’s name will ride above the name rail, and each car will emphasize the number “0” in honor of the man who made it legendary in sprint car racing.
Cathy Ferkel, Rick’s wife of over 49 years, will be in attendance Darlington race weekend, along with several of their children and grandchildren.
In the opening six events of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series campaign, Bell has been the series’ most dominant driver, collecting three consecutive victories at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Circuit of The Americas, and Phoenix Raceway – his only top-five and top 10 finishes of the season.
Bell is a 12-time winner in the NASCAR Cup Series and has spent five of his six full-time campaigns at NASCAR’s top level driving the iconic No. 20 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing.
The Goodyear 400 will take place on Sunday, April 6 at 3:30 PM ET on FS1, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
