Pacific Palisades resident Townsend Bell of Panther Racing competed in his seventh Indy 500 race on Sunday, finishing 27th overall after qualifying 22nd. He drove the No. 60 Sunoco “Turbo” Chevy.
Bell, who was recently installed as honorary sheriff of the Palisades, briefly led the field when his competitors were making pit stops, holding the top position on lap 124, but hit a setback on lap 147 when he was forced to pit abruptly to fix a loose engine cover.
Last year, Bell finished ninth overall, and his best finish at the Indy 500 was fourth in 2009. This year marked the first year Bell drove a Chevrolet engine, having used a Honda his previous six Indy 500 races.
“It was a pretty tough day for us,” Bell told Motorsport.com. “I knew it was going to be super competitive, and it was. I got a few guys from the start, lost a little bit on the first pit stop, and then kind of battled back through. I think we were as high as 10th at one point and kind of worked our way up there and then the engine cover came loose.”
This page is available to subscribers. Click here to sign in or get access.
