This sounds right. Broken valve spring usually leads to a draggy feeling and slow down the straights, fine in the corners but still enough to not immediately drop to last and dnf. Happened to Busch at Indy last year on the road course and he was a second or two a lap slower on the straights. Seemed to be what Bell struggled with
Gen 6 car and the 550 hp package, he might have been able to keep it wide open in the corners AND save fuel. Someone did that years ago, Kyle Busch maybe? Someone help me.
Yup the fact it kept running makes me think broken valve spring. Probably running on seven cylinders. Team told him to stop shifting too. Which would lessen RPM and let it live a bit longer.
He was right on Blaney's ass going into the corner and then fell away. As a layman, I would think that a motor would blow at max RPMs coming out of the corner or down the straightaway, but that doesn't look like what happened.
Maybe someone with technical knowledge can explain why it would blow at that point on the track?
Usually they do go sour at the high rpm band, but some have failed when lifting and suddenly dropping rpm as well. Certainly less common but no unheard of. The usual culprits are valve springs or rocker arms but when they fail you usually see smoke like we did with Chandler Smith at Portland on Saturday. I’m thinking Bell dropped a cylinder and lost the HP more than had any type of catastrophic failure. Of course all this from a fan who’s education comes from 30 years of watching on TV and no actual wrench turning on a race car.
Thanks for your thoughts.
He definitely didn't blow up entirely because he finished the race. More in line from what I've seen when someone loses a cylinder/HP.
Yea, whatever it was certainly wasn’t catastrophic, at least not immediately. Could be something valve train, as long as it didn’t send metal through everything. Maybe something bent like a pushrod, but didn’t break so it didn’t damage anything else.
Obviously could be something as simple as a spark plug wire coming off or melting but that’s pretty unheard of in NASCAR.
Long way to say I agree, lots of little things it could be without grenading the whole engine.
With the shifting they do now, it could be a missed shift coming off the corner, possibly shifting down to 2nd instead of up to 4th, or 5th... whichever gear they were in then. I'm pretty sure I heard Clint or Kevin say some of them were shifting twice down the straight instead of the usual once.
I heard them mention that on air as well. It’s possible, but the two I can remember doing that in a race had major failures right away- Hamlin and Larson both did it in the early NG days
When I was hearing in car audio during the broadcast, I swear I was hearing a couple of cars downshift twice in the corners... once as they were entering, and another a second or 2 later. Not every car, but I'm pretty sure there were a couple.
It almost seems that Bell overdrives the car in high pressure situations. Last fall at Phoenix he was driving deeper into the corner than others then the rotor explodes. Now this at Gateway. Maybe I’m overthinking it and it’s just bad luck for him. Either way Bell is a hell of a driver.
After applying my extensive knowledge of jackshit and reading the comments, it sounds like the likely culprit according to Reddit was a valve spring after Christopher bell dropped RPMs to enter the corner. But this is obviously all just speculative because none of us work at TRD.
It almost has to be either valve train related or ignition. The sudden nature of it makes me think it had a slight over rev on a downshift and broke a valve spring.
Dropped a cylinder, no idea why, since the engine lasted but he was about a second a lap slow. Maybe an electrical problem? Maybe injector failed..who knows but if they break a valve spring it usually blows up in 2-3 laps and he made 20 laps.
I think he probably overrevved it or missed a shift trying to focus on getting past Blaney.
Suarez overrevved at Sonoma last year and didn’t blow up but it wasn’t competitive for the rest of the day. Seems similar
I feel like people want this just to stoke the fires of complaining.
They haven't touched the HP in three full seasons, and don't appear to be in a great hurry to return to 550HP anymore.
You'll likely never find out unless you work at TRD. But usually valvetrain like broken valve spring.
This sounds right. Broken valve spring usually leads to a draggy feeling and slow down the straights, fine in the corners but still enough to not immediately drop to last and dnf. Happened to Busch at Indy last year on the road course and he was a second or two a lap slower on the straights. Seemed to be what Bell struggled with
Gen 6 car and the 550 hp package, he might have been able to keep it wide open in the corners AND save fuel. Someone did that years ago, Kyle Busch maybe? Someone help me.
Yup the fact it kept running makes me think broken valve spring. Probably running on seven cylinders. Team told him to stop shifting too. Which would lessen RPM and let it live a bit longer.
Didn't work so good no more
For more detail: it go boom
His car was engin't
https://preview.redd.it/dy1inksywe4d1.jpeg?width=350&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5ca61d7feb09af0f78e273f71f6280dd810f675b
It brokededed
He was right on Blaney's ass going into the corner and then fell away. As a layman, I would think that a motor would blow at max RPMs coming out of the corner or down the straightaway, but that doesn't look like what happened. Maybe someone with technical knowledge can explain why it would blow at that point on the track?
Usually they do go sour at the high rpm band, but some have failed when lifting and suddenly dropping rpm as well. Certainly less common but no unheard of. The usual culprits are valve springs or rocker arms but when they fail you usually see smoke like we did with Chandler Smith at Portland on Saturday. I’m thinking Bell dropped a cylinder and lost the HP more than had any type of catastrophic failure. Of course all this from a fan who’s education comes from 30 years of watching on TV and no actual wrench turning on a race car.
Thanks for your thoughts. He definitely didn't blow up entirely because he finished the race. More in line from what I've seen when someone loses a cylinder/HP.
Yea, whatever it was certainly wasn’t catastrophic, at least not immediately. Could be something valve train, as long as it didn’t send metal through everything. Maybe something bent like a pushrod, but didn’t break so it didn’t damage anything else. Obviously could be something as simple as a spark plug wire coming off or melting but that’s pretty unheard of in NASCAR. Long way to say I agree, lots of little things it could be without grenading the whole engine.
With the shifting they do now, it could be a missed shift coming off the corner, possibly shifting down to 2nd instead of up to 4th, or 5th... whichever gear they were in then. I'm pretty sure I heard Clint or Kevin say some of them were shifting twice down the straight instead of the usual once.
I heard them mention that on air as well. It’s possible, but the two I can remember doing that in a race had major failures right away- Hamlin and Larson both did it in the early NG days
When I was hearing in car audio during the broadcast, I swear I was hearing a couple of cars downshift twice in the corners... once as they were entering, and another a second or 2 later. Not every car, but I'm pretty sure there were a couple.
Agreed. I remember the 24 specifically as he was the first I noticed it on.
Engine parts make heat, and friction when spin very fast. Make big boom. Also, sometimes, little boom. Bell's engine go little boom.
>boom. [confetti.](https://i.redd.it/zvyemepykshc1.gif)
That's not true, motor failures can come at any RPM range.
https://i.redd.it/odfw89eore4d1.gif Car go boom
That shit was nuts, man.
"One of those real important parts broke" Ken Schrader
"i know whats wrong with it... it aint got no gas in it"....... wait that was blaney.
Ran out of blinker fluid.
Most teams don't disclose specifics about engine issues for privacy reasons.
No smoke, and it kept going, so I would guess broken or weak valve spring. Going off what little we heard on th broadcast
It blew up
It stopped workin right
It blowed up
He let the smoke out.
The front fell off
Pushed it too far. You don’t see drivers do that much these days.
The Bell tolls for thee
It almost seems that Bell overdrives the car in high pressure situations. Last fall at Phoenix he was driving deeper into the corner than others then the rotor explodes. Now this at Gateway. Maybe I’m overthinking it and it’s just bad luck for him. Either way Bell is a hell of a driver.
I heard he blew a tranny
What a way to celebrate pride month
god fucking dammit that fucking got me so bad
so have I... wait, what are we talking about
I'm confused now too
After applying my extensive knowledge of jackshit and reading the comments, it sounds like the likely culprit according to Reddit was a valve spring after Christopher bell dropped RPMs to enter the corner. But this is obviously all just speculative because none of us work at TRD.
illegal motor ?
Honestly this crossed my mind too. He was WAY faster than anyone else, beyond what reasonable talent level would allow for.
It almost has to be either valve train related or ignition. The sudden nature of it makes me think it had a slight over rev on a downshift and broke a valve spring.
He dropped a cylinder. It became obvious when he was able to keep pace in the corners, but dropped like a stone on the straightaways.
It got its Bell rung.
It went boom It went boom again Then it went pow!
>boom [confetti.](https://i.redd.it/zvyemepykshc1.gif)
Still no word yet
Thanks 👍🏻
It ded
Blown up sir!!!
Didn’t he say he went down a cylinder
no go brrr no mo
Ho Lee Fuk Wi Too Lo Bang Ding Ow
It was everyone's dissatisfaction with the Coke 600 that collectively caused the universe to intervene
Ain't got no gas in it! Wait...that was Blaney
Dropped a cylinder, no idea why, since the engine lasted but he was about a second a lap slow. Maybe an electrical problem? Maybe injector failed..who knows but if they break a valve spring it usually blows up in 2-3 laps and he made 20 laps.
I think he probably overrevved it or missed a shift trying to focus on getting past Blaney. Suarez overrevved at Sonoma last year and didn’t blow up but it wasn’t competitive for the rest of the day. Seems similar
It was a Toyota.
High humidity
Lower horsepower incoming
I feel like people want this just to stoke the fires of complaining. They haven't touched the HP in three full seasons, and don't appear to be in a great hurry to return to 550HP anymore.