Bell began raing at the age of eight in go-karts and went on to win six consecutive championships in the state of Nevada. In 1997, he began racing in the SCCA F2000 Championship Series and won one out of the nine races he competed in. He soon moved up to the U.S. F2000 National Championship and was named the national spokesman for the Special Wish Foundation. In 2000, he joined the CART Toyota Atlantic Series, driving for Michael Shank Racing and posting five top-five finishes. After another tun in Toyota Atlantic, Bell joined the ASCARI factory team, participating in several endurance races for the team, including the 24 Hours of Daytona, 12 Hours of Sebring, and 24 Hours of LeMans.
In 2003, Bell switched to stock car racing and began racing in the Truck Series. He drove a total of nine races in the #86 Defiant Clothing Chevrolet Silverado for Team Racing, his best finish a twelfth at Dover International Speedway. He also drove three races in the #53 truck owned by Mary Ward, but did not finish higher than 23rd. The following season, he moved to the ARCA RE/MAX Series to drive for Powertech Motorsports. He finished third in points and was named Rookie of the Year. He made eighteen starts in ARCA in 2005 and returned to the Truck Series, finishing sixteenth at Kentucky Speedway in a one-race deal with Glynn Motorsports. In the summer of 2005, he was hired by DCT Motorsports to drive their #36 Pontiac, earning a best finish of 22nd in eight races.
He drove a limited schedule for Bobby Jones Racing in 2006 in the ARCA Series, as well as driving the #07 Green Light Racing truck in the Truck Seres. In 2007, Bell signed to drive sixteen races for Roush Fenway Racing's #50 Ford F-150 in the Trucks in 2007. He had one top-ten finish and ended the year 22nd in points. He finished out 2008 with TRG Motorsports when he replaced Andy Lally in the #7. Bell impressed many, scoring five top tens for TRG before leaving to drive Red Horse Racing's #11 Toyota vacated by David Starr. In 2010, he drove the #50 for new team MAKE Motorsports, and will drive with them in 2011.
Bell made his Cup Series debut at the May Darlington race, driving the #50 Chevrolet for Joe Falk, a Virginia car dealer who owned LJ Racing from 1997-2000. The car finished 38th after the transmission gave out after 67 laps. Bell ran several more races later in the year, attempting a run for Rookie of the Year honors.
In 2012, Bell ran full-time in the Nationwide Series for MAKE Motorsports,[1] in addition to making selected Sprint Cup Series starts for FAS Lane Racing.[2] Bell also ran selected races in the Camping World Truck Series for JJC Racing.
TJ Bell “FAST FACTS”
Full Name:: Timothy (TJ) Bell Jr.
Birthplace: Reno, Nevada
Resides:: Mooresville, NC
Height: 5’ 8” (170 cm)
Hobbies: Wakeboarding, biking, soccer
Afiliations:
2009
2008
A quick look at the high points of the Nationwide, Truck series seasons
By Jim Utter
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Friday, Dec. 12, 2008
"Most Improved Driver: TJ Bell. The native of Sparks, Nev., competed in 17 of the series' 25 races and compiled seven top 10 finishes, including five in a row at one point. It was by far his most productive season in NASCAR competition. Given a shot with a full time and fully funded team, Bell may well be the next big surprise in the sport."
2006
2005
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2003
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1997