Chase Elliott recently lost control of his car at Michigan International Speedway and snapped toward the outside wall. Christopher Bell was caught in the crossfire. With nowhere to go, Bell slammed hard into the SAFER barrier. The crash left Bell with a broken left wrist. It is terrible timing for a long recovery, especially with the current championship format demanding consistent points.

Bell managed to race the next two weeks at Coronado and Sonoma. However, Joe Gibbs Racing kept prospect Brent Crews on standby just in case. Driving on those two road courses with a broken wrist must have been awful. Heading into this weekend’s race at Chicagoland Speedway, Bell provided an update on his recovery.

“I would say my ability to drive the car is the same as what it has been,” Bell told John Newby. Just keep using the word ‘clunky’, like I just can’t be quick and precise with the wheel. I had a cast on arm, and now I got a splint, but the mobility is the same. Hopefully, I can gain movement of my left wrist here shortly, and I’ll be back to normal.”

For a NASCAR driver, “freedom” in the car means making fast, exact steering moves. Right now, Bell cannot do that. His wrist just will not move that way.

Still, the driver of the No. 20 Toyota insists his healing is on schedule. His goal was to shed his heavy cast before Chicagoland. He achieved that and showed up this weekend wearing a lighter splint. It isn’t a perfect scenario, but it allows him to wear his firesuit and gloves much more comfortably.

The driver admitted that he hopes to see his wrist unbandaged by North Wilkesboro or by Indianapolis. Unfortunately, he did confess that at the Atlanta Motor Speedway, his cast will be back on. It isn’t that he is anticipating any aggravation of the injury. Instead, he chalked it down as a precaution, owing to the nature of the track, so he wants maximum protection to heal.

Ahead of the Eero 400 at Chicagoland, Christopher Bell assessed his fitness. In his words, his injured wrist felt about the same, and the track’s rough nature doesn’t change anything much. He likened it to the last two tracks he raced at when he still had the cast on his arm. What kept him encouraged was the fact that he enjoyed a decent day in the office at Sonoma.

This gives Bell some hope that a good finish is still on the cards at Chicagoland. Starting from sixth on the grid, it is his best chance of escaping any midfield chaos and potentially setting back his recovery period by weeks. With that said, anything can happen in the race, so he should not take anything for granted.