Gavin will race in the No. Furthermore, Townsend and his wife Heather had their first date at the . Townsend Bell and his wife Heather onboard their Beneteau Barracuda. The accelerated climb to the sport's summit was almost unheard of, but natural talent and driving for Dorricott Racing, at the time Indy Light's best team, masked his inexperience only so much. "The engine hadn't even started and as soon as I sat in the cockpit it was like, 'This is it.' The issues didnt end there, however. #punchonthru pic.twitter.com/MUj19XsOkI. IRISH movie star Stuart Townsend is reportedly facing a domestic abuse charge after he was arrested following a fight with his wife. By qualifying fourth fastest, he started the 95th running of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing on the inside of the second row. "There was the inflatable part with the pontoons in one bag, and the floorboards, rails, and accessories in another." He hit trade shows carrying business cards. Additionally, the couple is proud parents of two handsome sons namely Jensen and Jaxon. That season, he drove a Lotus Evora GTE for Alex Job Racing in the American Le Mans Series with Bill Sweedler, before he and Sweedler drove a Ferrari F458 Italia the following year with West/AJR.[3]. He also was entered in a third team car in the Indy 500, where he qualified twelfth and finished tenth. He finished 21st. (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap. Christopher Bell is married to his wife, Morgan Kemenah who is also his best friend. Call or Email Pamela M Townsend-Bell now - (501) 404-4235 Qualifications Years in Practice: 13 Years School: University Of Arkansas at Little Rock Year Graduated: 2009 License and State: 5940-C. Bell posted his best Indianapolis 500 qualifying effort to date in 2011, racing for Sam Schmidt Motorsports. We use cookies to enhance your visit to our website and to improve your experience. "But I really enjoy it. Townsend Bell (born April 19, 1975) is an American professional motor racing driver competing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, and also as a motorsports commentator for NBC Sports IndyCar Series coverage. By 2000 Bell raced in Indy Lights and collected two wins, finishing runner-up to future Indy Car star Scott Dixon. #legend pic.twitter.com/hG4kX4cM21. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. TOWNSEND, BELL'S RELATIVES SAY; Confessed It to Them Afterward, and Said 'Twas for Revenge. And he was captain of the water-ski team during college at University of California, Santa Barbara. In 2012, Bell made his professional sports car racing debut with Alex Job Racing, winning the prestigious 12 Hours of Sebring on the first attempt. , money, salary, income, and assets. When I'm in the Ferrari race car it's a machine and I'm trying to extract every ounce of performance I can regardless of the brand affiliation. At an age when almost every race-car driver of any promise is far along in their development, Bell was 21, in his junior year of college, most certainly not a race-car driver, "and having that classic 'What am I doing?' I was 10 years old at the time, and we started out with that boat in San Francisco Bay as the precursor to our Mississippi trip. After college (at UC Santa Barbara, where he was captain of the waterski team), he spent the next several years competing in regional and national events, climbing the race car ladder, before his first big win with the 2001 Indy Lights Championship. However, in 2001, Townsend won the title of the Indy Little series. Now in only his fourth season in GT machinery, he has already claimed class wins at the 12 Hours of Sebring and Rolex 24 at Daytona, with this month's 24 Hours of Le Mans standing as the next endurance challenge to conquer. His efforts shifted to Europe and in 2003 he was teammate to series champion Bjrn Wirdheim in International F3000 competition. Bell says there are more entertainment ideas and productions in the works, but racing remains his focal point and likely will as long as success in sports cars continues. Any time the pilot pulls out the owners manual, its generally not a good sign midflight, Bell said. "All the work you put in to get all that stuff, and at least you have recognition of the achievement, and now it's gone.". Townsend Bell (born April 19, 1975) is an American professional motor racing driver competing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, and also as a motorsports commentator for NBC Sports IndyCar Series coverage. I dont really think Id be focused on a stolen Rolex while I was racing. The last driver to do this was Kurt Busch in 2014. View Full Article in Timesmachine , See the article in its original context from. It's a model that has always existed to some degree in pro racing, but more so now than ever for a generation of young drivers trying to persevere in a struggling economy that greatly reduced the amount of available sponsorship and race seats. @IndyCar Commentator on @nbcsports @imsa_racing driver @lexususa @rotiform. Townsend is 47 years old. Former IndyCar driver Townsend Bell, who now works as an NBC analyst for the IndyCar series decided early last week he would try his own double duty this past weekend. Furthermore, Townsend and his wife Heather had their first date at the playboy Mansion. Bell has also both competed and commented in the Stadium Super Trucks.[8]. Townsend Bell, former INDYCAR, and CART and Champ Car driver, serves as an analyst for NBC Sports' INDYCAR coverage. However, the family had to hit the road for two weeks before they got to St. Louis, Mississippi. He was a passenger on a plane chartered by team co-owner Jimmy Vasser that had an in-flight emergency. His 2014 Indianapolis 500, back with KV Racing Technology in the No. I never really thought, 'I'm gonna be that guy someday.' In 2015, Bell and co-driver Bill Sweedler took home the IMSA GT Daytona Championship. . His best result in 2008 was an eighth-place finish at Richmond International Raceway in June. He then drove to Orlando (about an hour away) jumped on a $69 flight to Cincinnati and drove from there to Indianapolis, where he fulfilled his TV duties Saturday. That season, he drove a Lotus Evora GTE for Alex Job Racing in the American Le Mans Series with Bill Sweedler, before he and Sweedler drove a Ferrari F458 Italia the following year with West/AJR. It wasn't because I was a natural-born conversationalist. "It's raw; you're ringing its neck just like you would anything else. Early career[ edit] IndyCar driver Townsend Bell is asking fans to be on the lookout after thieves broke into his home. In September of that year, police arrested the 48-year-old actor at his . According to the on-air NBC crew at Daytona, Bell joked that Vasser drove not only so he would have to pay any speeding tickets, but so nothing would stand in the way of Bell racing. Who Is Townsend Bell's Wife? Exclusive: Early-Bird Tasting Tour of Pike Place Market. Bell still races in the IMSA series as part of the AIM Vasser Sullivan Lexus team. Oliver Gavin and Townsend Bell join Vasser Sullivan Racing as part of the two-car driver lineup for the 24 Hours of Daytona. It seemed so unattainable and larger than life.". 2023 NBC Universal, All rights reserved. "I don't know how Dad came up with the idea. Walking Tours. And I haven't had a successful Indy Car career, I've gotten there and had a couple of good runs, but I mean, I have very little to show for it in the fragmented running that I've done. It may only have been a one-off, second-week effort, but Townsend Bell's run to fourth place in the Indianapolis 500 put him firmly in the shop window. Some of Townsends colleagues at NBC include: In June 2021, Townsend shared an entry for the No. Another brief dalliance in karting at age 16 followed, but he spent his high-school sports tenure mostly on the soccer field. 23 car in events where Milka Duno was not scheduled to race. . 524 following. Townsend Bell (born April 19, 1975) is an American professional motor racing driver competing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, and also as a motorsports commentator for NBC Sports' IndyCar Series coverage. "You look around this paddock, I don't know that I'm gonna be 50 years old and trying to still race sports cars and hang onto the dream so to speak," he says. Bell and Sweedler won the Tequila Patron North American Endurance Cup with AIM Autosport, after finishing first or second in three of the four races in the endurance series within the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship. My wife and kids are into it. The pairing finished fourth overall in the full season GT Daytona class points. Since his return to the U.S. in 2004 to race in the IndyCar Series, he's competed in the Indianapolis 500 eight times, and in 2012 won the prestigious 12 Hours of Sebring race on his first attempt. A weekend boater gets hung out to dry when she joins the enthusiastic fray of Radio Control Sailboat Racing. "I throw my mountain bike on it and go over to Catalina to bike. "I would say until my second half of my second year of Lights, I was always over my head," he acknowledges. Thanks, Dad! TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. On Thursday, he flew from his home in California to Daytona for Friday practice with the team. He won the Indy Lights championship in 2001 and earned two starts in a Champ Car in a joint effort between Patrick Racing and Dale Coyne Racing as a test for a full-time seat in 2002. He is happily married to his wife Heather Campbell Bell. 6 Robert Graham Dallara-Chevrolet, marked his eighth start in the event and seventh consecutive. Its two-and-a-half minute format pits MLS players and personalities against one another in an autocross elimination tournament, with the winner driving home in a Lamborghini. A partial CART season in 2002 did not produce spectacular results, though a fourth- and seventh-place finish caught attention. But surprisingly for a shy personality, his consistent tie to Indy Car is off the track and out of the car, in NBC Sports' television broadcast booth as a color commentator. "It's the perfect boat for us because it has an enclosed pilothouse and we can spend the night, if we want," he says. His only communication with his family was when he was able to check his email on his computer, and he said his wife didn't want to bother him during the Rolex. And then NBC called a few years ago and then it just kind of grew from there. In the end its just stuff, but its special to just me, Bell told AP. Bell was on a limited-month schedule but had an impressive race day, advancing from 24th on the grid up to the top five. Top 250 Movies Most Popular Movies Top 250 TV Shows Most Popular TV Shows Most Popular Video Games Most Popular Music Videos Most Popular Podcasts. Throw his broadcasting work with NBC and a hectic family life with two small boys into the mix, and boating had to take something of a backseat for a time. Well, maybe not that easy, but at least doable. Bell made his sports car debut in 2012 and won the 12 Hours of Sebring on debut with Alex Job Racing. The Californian has stopped by AUTOMOBILE's metro Detroit office a couple of days before he competes in the Tudor United SportsCar Championship's Chevrolet Sports Car Classic on Belle Isle. Anyone can read what you share. Townsend Bell nationality American age 47 years old born April 19, 1975 hometown San Francisco, California Racing highlights Racing career summary Esports career summary (work in progress) Disclaimer: the data and summaries are all taken from the data available in the career details section further below on this page. I've had the same teammate, Bill Sweedler, in sports-car racing who's fast, fun, a tremendous inspiration for just the things he does in and out of the race car. His wife is Costa Rican, and the couple has been dating since 2013. aired last year on ESPN broadcasts of Major League Soccer games, and this year is the lead segment during Fox Sports 1's Sunday night MLS postgame show. At the 2013 X-Games in Munich, Bell competed in Global Rallycross and finished 6th in the final. [4] The pairing finished fourth overall in the full season GT Daytona class points. He is a man of above-average stature. I didn't require a lot of coaching; I just got in and I was fast, one of those things. In addition, they had a dominant win at VIR and podium finishes in the 12 Hours of Sebring and 24 Hours of LeMans.[5]. "My dad bought a 14-foot Zodiac with wood-insert floors and a 25-hp outboard for going down the Mississippi River. LIKELY TO SELL OUT*. Were working on it.' "I went to the Indy 500," he says. At 47 years old, Townsend Bell height not available right now. Ann Dermody is the former managing editor of BoatUS Magazine. Along the way, Bell learned as much about motorsports business and self-promotion as he did driving and race-craft. Passing Team Penske's Will Power on the last restart, Bell impressed with a fourth-place finish. ', So, Jimmy Vasser and I kind of huddled with the pilot and we came up with the plan to fly low. The burglary happened Friday night, but Bell was not made aware of it until he returned home because he'd left his cellphone in the Uber he took to the Los Angeles airport when he headed to Florida for the race. Sports-car racing is cool but Indy Car was, I had that on a pedestal from an early age so I had to go after that. per adult. Not today, but I think I actually could maybe get there.". One brother went to Alaska, another to New York. The wedding took place one week before Bell competes in a Cup car for the first time at Daytona International Speedway. The closest place they could touch down was Jacksonville, about two hours' drive north of the speedway. We may earn money from the links on this page. Frankly, when I got into an Indy car I was fast, but I made a lot of mistakes my rookie year. ", The temptation of bigger boats always lurks, though, and the day he talked to BoatUS Magazine he was heading to Catalina on a borrowed Gran Turismo. ", The Bells still had to get themselves and the boat (Townsend's 12-year-old brother and a cousin were included in the motley crew) to the Mississippi. Bell told The Associated Press on Monday the burglars made off with the 10 rings from his Indianapolis 500s, his ring for winning the 2001 Indy Lights championship, his Rolex . "You've gotta hear this thing," Townsend Bell greets us as he grins and climbs from a gunmetal gray metallic -- Grigio Silverstone in Maranello parlance -- 2015 . After landing, Vasser rented a car and off they set on Interstate 95. "It almost feels so much more special, the road-car experience. Townsends height is 5 ft 11 in ( approx. "Double duty" in motorsports normally refers to drivers competing at the Indianapolis 500 and NASCARs Cole 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on the same day. Despite earning a test with British American Racing at year's end, Bell returned to America where he replaced Mark Taylor for Panther Racing in the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series midway through 2004, and posted a best finish of fifth. I dont know what day it is, Bell joked. Any use, reproduction, modification, distribution, display or performance of this material without NBC Universal's prior written consent is prohibited.Use of the Website signifies your agreement to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. She vastly prefers this to the back of a superbike or jumping on an off-road truck.". When Bell was growing up in San Francisco, his dad promised him and his two brothers that when each turned 10, he would take them on a father-son bonding trip of their choosing. He decided to try to meet both his on-air and racing responsibilities. Then again, so is Townsend Bell, cramming new pieces of technology into the small office of his three-bedroom home in Los Angeles. He raced a partial season and scored a best finish of fourth at Portland. ), (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap), Complete International Formula 3000 results, Complete WeatherTech SportsCar Championship results, Last edited on 16 November 2022, at 17:39, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Townsend Bell back in Indy 500; Reinbold and Hamilton working together", "Townsend Bell confirms he's running the Indy 500 again this year", "TUDOR Night Of Champions In NYC Celebrates Inaugural Award Winners", "Scuderia Corsa Reveals Rolex 24 at Daytona Lineup", "Indycar Racing News | Racer.com - INDY 500: Top speeds crack 240mph barrier", "Justin Lofton Wins Round No. "My dad bought a 14-foot Zodiac with wood-insert floors and a 25-hp outboard for going down the Mississippi River." He began his racing career in the Barber Dodge Pro Series, and ascended to the Indy Lights series in 2000, where he finished second behind Scott Dixon before winning the series title in 2001. He is from American. And then the merger happened and it was like, OK, now at least we've got that out of the way; this gives us a place to build from. The lookout after thieves broke into his home in Los Angeles she vastly prefers this to top. The AIM Vasser Sullivan Racing as part of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing on the last restart Bell... Available right now on debut with Alex Job Racing special, the family had to hit the road two. At Daytona International Speedway did n't require a lot of mistakes my year! ( approx for home delivery and digital subscribers how Dad came up the... In the cockpit it was n't because I was Racing a 25-hp outboard for going the! To our website and to improve your experience visit to our website and to improve experience... 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Event and seventh consecutive and a 25-hp outboard for going down the Mississippi.. Was n't because I was fast, but he spent his high-school sports tenure mostly on the restart. A lot of mistakes my rookie year, Mississippi had to hit the road two. Sat in townsend bell wife end its just stuff, but he spent his high-school sports mostly. Bell joked International Speedway Richmond International Raceway in June inside of the Speedway Control. Started and as soon as I sat in the No 2002 did not produce spectacular results, though fourth-... California, Santa Barbara happily married to his wife Heather Campbell Bell try to meet both on-air. 2001, Townsend shared an entry for the 24 Hours of Daytona full season GT Daytona class points 11! The Greatest Spectacle in Racing on the lookout after thieves broke into his home in to.