Christopher Bell says it is going to be a ‘game time decision’ whether or not he competes in the entirety of the NASCAR Cup Series race on the streets of Naval Air Station North Island on Sunday.

Bell fractured his wrist two weeks ago in a crash at Michigan International Speedway but also completed every lap last week at Pocono Raceway. However, a street course requires a lot more physical input that might challenge the driver of the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20.

“It's not a pain threshold … and it's not going to be any different until I get my cast off,” Bell said. “But it’s the same thing as Pocono where I just can't be as quick and aggressive on the steering wheel as I normally am.”

Bell isn’t even totally sure what will determine whether or not he gets out of the car on Sunday.

“Myself and Adam (Stevens, crew chief) are really going to have to sit down and talk about what our goals are,” Bell said. “I will say that it’s a very high-risk racetrack and I can't afford any setbacks. I'm already two weeks into this healing process now.”

The risk is what happens if the steering wheel snaps due to any contact.

“Any sort of miscalculation on the apex, walls or wheel-to-wheel contact and the wheel jerks in my hand,” Bell said. “Those are the kind of things that I think we're all worried about.”

For this weekend, Joe Gibbs Racing top prospect Brent Crews is on standby should Bell need relief. Crews spent some time in the Toyota Racing Development simulator this past week and even turned his first laps in a Cup Series car in practice on Saturday.

Crews is the 2023 Trans-Am road racing champion.

“I think this is the perfect scenario for Brent,” Bell said. “I really think that this is the perfect scenario for Brent coming to a racetrack where it's an equal playing field for everybody. He's obviously an amazing road course racer.

“He did great in the simulator and then practice too. We were really struggling with our car but he certainly was doing a great job and was on a pretty respectable lap before he made a mistake late on the last lap.

“So yeah, all things considered, I know that he will do really well and I don't think we’re going to be limited by the driver if he races.”

Bell says his cast is a week-to-week matter. His doctors have advised him not to take it off, but that they would approve it, should he make the overture.  Last week at Pocono revealed to Bell that there are still some weeks left to go in the short-term recovery process.

"Before Pocono, I thought I was going to be completely fine, and I thought that I was going to be able to drive the car completely fine, and Pocono was an eye opener of ‘I'm not at a hundred percent and I'm not driving at a hundred percent.’

“I'm not my normal self. So, with that being said, yeah, I was over-optimistic and I understand now that I'm not at a hundred percent.”

With all of that said, Bell is making tremendous progress in that he only felt ‘little tinges’ of pain at Pocono. He didn’t feel those ‘tinges’ on Friday. He’s just limited by the cast that he’s not willing to risk removing this weekend.

“It's just the physical limitation of not being able to turn the wheel quick enough,” Bell said. “And if everything goes perfect and I don't get loose and I don't miss an apex and I hit my downshifts, perfect, I am fine.

“But it's just those extracurriculars that came up today off of the last chicane. I was in the middle of trying to shift and then, the moment it gets loose, it becomes very difficult to catch it. I just need to get the cast off.”

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For all the messy chaos the Craftsman Truck Series brought on Friday at Naval Air Station North Beach, the Cup Series practice session was pretty procedural.

The only incidents of note:

A Jimmie Johnson 360-degree spin Austin Cindric spinning Kevin Magnussen flat-side hitting the Turn 16 wall Brad Keselowski slamming on brakes to avoid drilling Turn 2

But again, that was it. It’s a cliché but the best in the discipline proved their mettle, at least when driving the 3.4-mile street circuit largely by themselves over the course of a 50-minute session.

The biggest story was just how much tire degradation there was.

“Yeah, lots of it,” said Denny Hamlin afterwards. “I ran eight laps into the first run and that was all the tires wanted at that point.”

That was the experience for Daniel Suarez as well.

“I only run like six or seven laps and my rear tires were completely gone,” said Suarez. “So that’s going to be fun to see.”

Ditto Ryan Blaney.

“Tire fall off is massive,” he said. “I feel like you get one and a half good laps on tires and then you're struggling. So that's going to be interesting trying to go 20 in a stage on a set if you do get 20.

“So, I think it's going to be a lot of tire management, things like that.”

Does Hamlin expect tire failures during a long green flag run?

“I don't think so,” Hamlin said. “I think that you're going to know that you've got no tires left and you have to come in and pit. So, I don't think they're going to blow from being out of air. I think that you'll just be out of control and have no choice but to pit.”

Marble matters

The other significant takeaway from Friday is that the tires marbled all the way around the most abrasive parts of a circuit that arguably is comprised of at least five different aggregates.

Carson Hocevar said the rubber creates a line cheat sheet of sorts.

“Man, I've had fun,” Hocevar said. “I enjoyed the track. It's sketchy for sure. The most interesting part … because obviously the tires wear out so much. It looks very Formula 1-esque with the rubber.

“The groove was super narrow already, so all the marbles and stuff was right outside … and so you could almost have a cheat sheet of the groove,” Hocevar said. “You could just see on the edge of where everybody's running with the marbles and stuff.

“But it makes me a little nervous how it's going to be because I haven't really had a lot of experience with that amount of marbles. If we can pass and not just instantly then slide the next corner with the marbles on it.

“But I've had fun. I enjoyed the track. It's a lot more flowing than you would've expect it to be for the way it looks.”

The concern, as Hocevar articulated it, is that if the tires marble up on Sunday, the way they did on Friday, it makes the track even more narrow. Because driving over the marbles will take away all the grip in the tires on the next corner.

Hamlin called it a ‘tough’ predicament.

“I mean the track was very narrow on the backside today with the marbles,” Hamlin said. “Typically when the race starts, the track naturally widens-out a little bit because of the restarts and the cars.

“Not everyone's going to be single-file out by that portion of the track, so naturally I think it's going to get blown out a little bit wider. But you don't want to be off by much.”

Blaney said he had several attempted passes on cars undermined by the marbles during practice.

“We marbled up a lot today, especially on the concrete pad areas from Turn 10 all the way to 16, got marbles, dusty, stuff like that,” Blaney said. “I got off line trying to pass somebody and crashed kind of like you see in IndyCar races when tracks get marbled up on street courses.

“I felt like it was pretty similar there. So yeah, I don't know how the race is going to be.”

SVG vs The World

Shane Van Gisbergen won two of the three Cup Series races on the Streets of Chicago so why wouldn’t he be the favorite on Sunday?

The three-time Supercars champion turned seven-time Cup Series race winner was eighth fastest overall in practice on Friday, but more importantly, was almost a full second faster than anyone else over a five lap average.

Hamlin thinks the Kiwi is the favorite.

“I mean I think there's probably a couple of those sections and you guys might figure it out where that is, but there's about two or three sections where I think he makes up the bulk of his time,” Hamlin said. “But I think, really, his expertise is the longevity of keeping his tires on his car for an extended period of time with the tire allotment that we have.

“We're going to be forced to go pretty long on tires and I think that's where he's going to separate himself from the field.”

For his part, SVG resents the widespread expectation that he’s the obvious winner.

“It pisses me off a bit, like I feel like it disrespects my competition,” Van Gisbergen said. “I hold my competition to a really high level. So yeah, I feel like I've spent the last little while talking myself down because I know that there's 10 guys probably that can win on pure pace. In NASCAR, so much stuff can happen with strategies and stages, that there's even more guys who can win. So I don't think it's going to be easy, that's for sure.”

Read Also: NASCAR Cup drivers get chaotic first taste of San Diego street course

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Tyler Reif was just one chicane away from an emotional victory in San Diego, but instead, the 19-year-old is left to wonder what could have been.

Making just his seventh career start with a previous best finish of ninth, Reif suddenly found himself battling for the win when Kaden Honeycutt and Chandler Smith collided in an overtime restart.

Reif fought off Daniel Hemric in a contact-filled battle, taking the white flag with smoke billowing from his No. 42 Chevrolet. If he held on for just one more lap, he would have been just the third driver ever to deliver Niece Motorsports a Truck Series win, with the other two being Cup stars Ross Chastain and Carson Hocevar.

But he had Layne Riggs all over him, and entering the final chicane on the last lap, Reif missed his entry and had to cut the corner, slamming doors with Riggs as the win slipped away Per NASCAR rules, you have to come to a complete stop after missing the chicane, so his shot the win was over the moment he failed to stay to the left of the tire bundle.

Reif was scored 19th, and the shouts of his family could be heard on the background of the broadcast as the difficult loss played out in real-time.

"I'm so sorry," radioed a dejected Reif.

Layne Riggs wins at Naval Base Coronado! pic.twitter.com/YbpeBekuXg

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) June 20, 2026

Afterwards, Motorsport.com's Matt Weaver caught up with him, and the teenager was brutally honest when reflecting on the dramatic finish.

"Obviously, if I could redo that chicane 100 times over, I'd redo it 101 times. I mean, I did it perfectly 49 times, and I missed it once, right? The only lap that mattered, too. So, I don't know, not a lot of words for it, but I'm just extremely disappointed in myself, and it's definitely not going to happen again."

On what happened in the final seconds of the race, he added: "I think the pressure just got to me, right?"

One of the first people to talk with Reif after climbing from the truck was Hocevar, who offered some advice to the young racer:

"I just had a talk with Carson Hocevar after, and he was like, look, you're going to run your line, and Layne's either going to wreck you or he's not. And I was so worried about him getting into me that I threw my own race away. So, Carson gave me great advice, whether I'm going to win or I'm not, and I just took myself out of it and gave myself a 0% chance of winning it. So, just build on it and be better at the next one."

Tyler Reif, No. 42 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet

Our very own Matt Weaver later spoke with Hocevar himself, who noted that Reif didn't need to win the race to turn heads on Friday, and just being that close to the win was enough to get him noticed as he pursues a career at the national level of NASCAR.

"I mean, ultimately, you don't know this game's all menta, until you're there in those moments," Hocevar told Motorsport.com. "I don't know how many truck races you even finish, let alone have a shot to win a race. And, you know, it's a no-brainer. I've known him and known him from Quarter-Midgets and everything and his family, and he's been a good little racer ever since. I've gotten to talk to him, and ultimately, his goal is (to) run good enough to have a full-time seat.

"I just want him to reassure him what he did, you know, everybody's going to take notice. You don't have to win these races. The owners are going to see the subject, not the results. The fans (will) see the results and social media will see it, but, the people that hire drivers, they see the subject."

After two DNFs in his last three starts before arriving in San Diego, the race was still a bright spot even if the 19th-place finish doesn't reflect that. Even in the raw moments on pit road following the checkered flag, Reif tried to focus on the positives.

"...I feel like I -- deep down -- always knew I could do it, but after Nashville and just the rough couple of races I've had, I think I was low on self-confidence. I knew I could come out here and run up front, and I did exactly that. So, I think that was really good for my mental side of things, and I'm just excited to see how the rest of my race is going."

Read Also: Parker Kligerman blasts Adam Andretti as 'disgrace' to his name for "trying to kill me" Layne Riggs wins frantic San Diego Truck race in unbelievable finish

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Friday's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Naval Base Coronado ended in complete chaos, but a familiar name in Victory Lane as Layne Riggs claimed a dramatic win for Front Row Motorsports.

On the final overtime restart, Kaden Honeycutt ran wide and slammed the wall at the exit of Turn 2, collecting Chandler Smith and eliminated both drivers from the battle for the win.

Chandler Smith goes around. pic.twitter.com/eV1GxYA6nZ

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) June 20, 2026

Suddenly, Daniel Hemric was leading the race, but Tyler Reif muscled his way by, igniting a full-contact battle for the top spot. Hemric and Reif made major contact entering the final chicane, and smoke began to billow from Reif's Niece Motorsports No. 42 Chevrolet.

Reif held the lead, dragging the wounded truck around the track as he now had to defend from Riggs. The championship leader was all over Reif, who blew the final chicane on the final lap. Riggs moved by, and they slammed doors at the exit of the corner before Reif stopped to serve a penalty for missing the corner.

Layne Riggs wins at Naval Base Coronado! pic.twitter.com/YbpeBekuXg

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) June 20, 2026

For Riggs, it was his fourth win of the 2026 season and the ninth of his career. Daniel Hemric slammed the wall coming to the checkered flag, but still finished second with Kaz Grala third, Landen Lewis fourth, and Ty Majeski fifth.

Unofficially, Justin Haley, Brenden Queen, Ben Rhodes, Christian Eckes, and Gio Ruggiero filled out the remainder of the top ten.

Stage 1

A dozen trucks had to start from the rear after an incident-filled practice and qualifying session. Honeycutt led the field to the green flag, and was briefly challenged by Riggs before holding onto the lead in a clean opening lap.

Riggs ultimately wrestled the lead away from Honeycutt, three laps into the race.

Nicholson and Sutton collided for the first incident of the race, sending both trucks spinning and triggering a full-course yellow.

On the restart, Majeski pulled off a wild save after locking up at corner entry, straightening his truck out and narrowly avoiding contact.

Riggs went on to win Stage 1, while several trucks opted to pit early and flip the stage.

Stage 2

Riggs pitted from the lead, but about 15 trucks stayed out, with Honeycutt and former NASCAR Cup champion Jimmie Johnson now in control, in a one-off appearance just 19 miles from where he grew up in California.

Connor Mosack spun in the final chicane, and both Rhodes and LaJoie sustained damage trying to avoid. It actually ended LaJoie's race.

Johnson took the lead after Honeycutt blew Turn 2, leading laps for the first time in any NASCAR race since he was racing Cup full-time in 2020.

Trackhouse Racing founder Justin Marks, who crashed heavily in practice, slammed the wall again during the race in his backup truck. Corey Lajoie also fell out of the race at this point due to contact in the middle of the field.

Johnson pitted from the lead with five laps left in Stage 2. Several leading trucks followed soon after, flipping the stage.

Riggs pitted from the lead with just two laps to go in the stage, but it was a slow stop for the No. 34 team.

Parker Kligerman then held off a hard-charging Majeski for the Stage 2 win, crossing the finish line bumper-to-bumper.

On the final lap of the stage, Jamie McMurray slammed the wall at the exit of the final corner, ending the day for him and the No. 25 Kaulig RAM team.

Big trouble for Jamie McMurray at Naval Base Coronado. https://t.co/DqMg5ngtPXpic.twitter.com/s7BfPGu9iu

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) June 20, 2026

Stage 3

Honeycutt cycled into the race lead, but while being pressured by C. Smith, he ran wide and hit the wall at the exit of Turn 2. Honeycutt pitted at the end of the lap, as Riggs passed Johnson to make it a FRM 1-2 at the front.

Elsewhere in the field, Friesen reported broken steering and pitted, while Frankie Muniz spun out and crashed. The caution flew for debris with 18 laps to go in the race.

During the caution, Smith pitted from the lead, with Johnson and several others following suit. Brendan Gaughan suffered damage at some point around the track under yellow, while Dawson Sutton stalled on track, and Grant Enfinger lost power after a strong run.

Riggs was back in control for the restart, followed by Majeski and Ruggiero. There was a lot of contact throughout the field as Honeycutt, Smith, and Johnson tried to slice their way through the field. Johnson went for a spin while battling for eighth, but only lost a few positions.

Jake Garcia stalled on track, triggering the fifth caution of the race with ten laps to go. Johnson pitted during the caution to make repairs to his wounded truck and get a fresher set of tires.

Tanner Gray went for a spin following a hectic restart, as the FRM teammates battled it out for the race win. Smith passed Riggs to the outside through Turn 1 with just seven laps remaining. Johnson went for another spin back in the back, and later stalled.

The caution flew with four laps to go when Tyler Ankrum slammed the wall while running fifth, completely sheering the right-side off his truck. They needed to fix the concrete wall, red-flagging the race.

Caution is out late after a big crash for Tyler Ankrum. pic.twitter.com/I5WhPMGtuW

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) June 20, 2026

On the restart, there was a pileup in the back of the pack, collecting several trucks. Rhodes ran wide and hit the tire barrier at Turn 2, and the field ran out of room as trucks arrived on scene already three-wide. Both Perez and Kligerman were involved, as was Nicholson, who was unable to roll away on his own, and another caution was needed, pushing the race into overtime.

As you read at the top of the story, chaos ensued, with Honeycutt and Smith wrecking from the lead, allowing Hemric, Reif, and Laynes to engage in all-out slugfest for the win.

Reif was hoping to earn his first NCTS win in just his seventh career start, but blew the final chicane, opening the door for Riggs to door-slam his way by and take a truly spectacular win.

Watch: Riggs dubs himself 'Layne van Riggsbergen' after Coronado victory

 

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