NASCAR Cup Series star Christopher Bell has revealed when he knew he had broken his wrist in last Sunday's huge wreck at Michigan.
Officials confirmed this week that Bell's hit was the hardest recorded in at least a decade, and left the Joe Gibbs Racing star with a broken wrist and bruised foot.
The wreck occurred with about 50 laps remaining, Bell and Chase Elliott racing side by side in second and third position when Elliott's No. 9 got slightly out of shape in Turn 3 before snapping sharply right, making contact with Bell on the inside and sending the No. 20 violently into the SAFER barrier.
Bell is back in action already this weekend at Pocono, though the real challenge is likely to be the tight street circuit in San Diego next weekend, with plenty of gear shifting and the need to turn right, as well as left.
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Bell: I knew right away
Speaking to media on Saturday at Pocono, Bell revealed that he realised almost immediately that he'd broken his wrist, explaining: "As soon as I stopped and reached down to undo my shirt and unhook my shirt, I couldn't hit the button. And I had instant pain. I didn't have pain before I went to hit the button. And then whenever I went to hit the button, I'm like, 'oh man, something's wrong'.
"And then I got out of the car and I was looking at it, I'm like, 'Well, it still looks okay, so I guess it's okay'. But then, I couldn't get my chin strap undone, so I'm like, 'Okay, something's wrong'. I knew right away that it was broken.
"And then yeah, once I think I took some Advil or ibuprofen there in the infield care center and they put me in a splint, I haven't had much pain at all when I'm not moving it."
No blame on Chase Elliott for big wreck
"I just thought it was racing," Bell said of the accident itself. "I mean, I don't even know that I would call it hard racing. It was just a racing accident. He got loose and yeah, we were side-by-side through the corner, but these cars don't really tend to lose a lot of sideforce whenever you're side-by-side compared to the old cars.
"So I didn't think he did anything egregious. I didn't think I did anything egregious. It was just a racing accident."
He added: “I can't speak highly enough of Chase as well. The moment that he saw me out of the car, he was visibly shaken up and concerned about me. I appreciate so much his, demeanor and his thoughts of me and he's reached out several times throughout the week to make sure I'm okay.
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