Matthew Elwin Bell (born August 31, 1985) is a professional race car driver. Bell was born in
Mountain View, California
Mountain View is a city in Santa Clara County, California, United States. Named for its views of the Santa Cruz Mountains, it has a population of 82,376.
Mountain View was integral to the early history and growth of Silicon Valley, and is th ...
. Although Bell grew up in
Los Altos, California
Los Altos (; Spanish for "The Heights") is a city in Santa Clara County, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 31,625 according to the 2020 census.
Most of the city's growth occurred between 1950 and 1980. Originally ...
, he attended
Mountain View High School from which he graduated in 2004. After graduation, he pursued transportation design at the
Academy of Art University
The Academy of Art University (AAU or ART U), formerly Academy of Art College and Richard Stephens Academy of Art, is a private for-profit art school in San Francisco, California. It was founded as the Academy of Advertising Art by Richard S. ...
,
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
,
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...
. Shortly after his third year of attendance, Bell joined
Grand America Road Racing Association Koni Challenge Series in 2008 and raced with
Turner Motorsport. For two years he raced for Turner Motorsport. Bell is racing for Stevenson Motorsport in the 2010 No. 6 Sunoco Camaro. Bell resides in
San Mateo, California
San Mateo ( ; ) is a city in San Mateo County, California, on the San Francisco Peninsula. About 20 miles (32 km) south of San Francisco, the city borders Burlingame, California, Burlingame to the north, Hillsborough, California, Hillsboro ...
and when not racing is an instructor at Jim Russell Racing School.
Racing career
In 2012, Bell made his debut in
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and h ...
competition, driving the No. 4 Chevrolet in the
Nationwide Series
The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) is a stock car racing series organized by NASCAR. It is promoted as NASCAR's second-tier circuit to the organization's top level Cup Series. NXS events are frequently held as a support race on the day prior to a ...
for
JD Motorsports
JD Motorsports, is an American professional stock car racing team that currently competes in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. It is owned and operated by Johnny Davis. It currently fields two Chevrolet Camaro SS teams: The No. 4 for Bayley Currey an ...
at
Road America
Road America is a motorsport road course located near Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, United States on Wisconsin Highway 67. It has hosted races since the 1950s and currently hosts races in the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series, WeatherTech SportsCar Ch ...
. Five years later, Bell returned to the series – now the Xfinity Series – at
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is a road course auto racing facility located in Troy Township, Morrow County, Ohio, United States, just outside the village of Lexington. Mid-Ohio has also colloquially become a term for the entire north-central regi ...
, where he drove the No. 90 for
King Autosport. His car suffered from brake issues and he violently crashed into the tire barrier in turn one; he finished 38th.
Images
File:Matt Bell 4 2012 Road America Sargento 200.jpg, Bell at his 2012 NASCAR debut
File:matt willowsprings.jpg, Bell at Willow Springs Raceway
File:4 Matt Bell Turn 13 2012 Road America Sargento 200.jpg, Bell's No. 4 at the 2012 Sargento 200
Motorsports career results
NASCAR
(
key) (
Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. ''Italics'' – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
Xfinity Series
Sports car racing
(
key) Bold – pole position (overall finish/class finish).
Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge
Rolex Sports Car Series
American Le Mans Series
Complete WeatherTech SportsCar Championship results
(
key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; results in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Matt
Living people
1985 births
People from Mountain View, California
Racing drivers from California
Racing drivers from San Jose, California
24 Hours of Daytona drivers
American Le Mans Series drivers
Rolex Sports Car Series drivers
NASCAR drivers
WeatherTech SportsCar Championship drivers
Academy of Art University alumni
Mountain View High School alumni
Meyer Shank Racing drivers
Michelin Pilot Challenge drivers