ARLINGTON, Va. — Few race wins carry the honor and prestige the Coca-Cola 600 provides. Christopher Bell learned that firsthand Wednesday.
Eleven months after winning the 2024 iteration of the NASCAR Cup Series’ Memorial Day Weekend staple at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Bell ventured to Arlington National Cemetery to partake in a sobering wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Bell’s grandfather served in World War II, and his uncle served in the Vietnam War. Bell had never visited the cemetery himself, but received advice from his father, David, who had.
“He’s been here several times,” Bell said, “and he told me that you don’t understand what privilege you’re gonna have to be able to participate in the wreath ceremony, witness the changing of the guards. He tried to explain to me the precision of the guards and how disciplined they are, but it really can’t be put into words.
“It puts things in perspective. It makes you understand that there are much bigger things in this world. Just special to me.”
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Arrival to the expansive grounds immediately signals the gravity of the landscape, where more than 400,000 fallen Americans who served their country lay at rest. According to its website, between 27 and 30 funerals are conducted per day across its sweeping 639 acres. The weight of the visit was not lost on Bell, the defending winner of the Memorial Day feature race.
“It reminds you that it is a memorial day,” he said. “All of these people here have paid the price and given us the freedom that we have in the United States of America. I think it becomes easy for Memorial Day to turn into a holiday and celebrating it for the wrong reasons. Coming here, visiting Arlington, is just a reminder that we have a Memorial Day for a reason, and we have this amazing country for a reason, and it just makes you thankful and puts everything in perspective.
“It just hits hard whenever you see how many people are here and how many people have paid the ultimate price for us to live in the country that we live in and to have the freedoms we have. It’s the greatest nation in the world, and this is a friendly reminder that freedom isn’t free.”
Bell’s day at Arlington began just outside the Memorial Amphitheater, where he and wife Morgan were introduced to Col. Mike Binetti, Chief of Staff of the Arlington National Cemetery. Their first stop was at the headstone of First Lieutenant Audie L. Murphy, a World War II veteran recognized as the most decorated combat soldier of the second World War.
The Bells, joined by Joe Gibbs Racing team president Dave Alpern and Speedway Motorsports Chief Operations Officer Mike Burch, were later escorted to the Tomb of the Unknown Solider, where Bell and Burch received instructions for the laying of the wreath inside the Memorial Amphitheater’s artifacts room. At 11 a.m. ET, clock bells rang to signal the changing of the guard, which the Bells, Burch and Alpern watched from the steps leading down to tomb. The wreath was placed seamlessly before Burch and Bell stepped away, and the somber silence was soon replaced by an equally solemn playing of “Taps.”
“It was nerve-wracking, just to try and match the guards’ precision,” Bell said. “And I didn’t do it. I didn’t. I don’t think anybody can. But you want to pay respect and be the the most precise and disciplined person you can be. It was just impressive. It was very impressive to see the guards and see their discipline. It hits hard. It really does.”
Upon conclusion of the ceremony, Bell and Co. were directed back inside the artifacts room and debriefed, asking more questions about the guards, their precision, their 21-step march and more. Now in their summer hours, the guards change shifts every 30 minutes. The sweltering heat, however, can make that feel far hotter.
Suddenly, there was a friendly snapback to reality, though. Sgt. 1st Class Jesse Zafft, who in July will move from funeral grounds to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier as Sergeant of the Guard, is an avid NASCAR fan originally from South Dakota. After long discussions about the ceremonies and history of the tomb, Zafft took his opportunity to ask Bell: “You give Denny any crap about Talladega?”
Bell laughed and took that chance to introduce Zafft to Alpern as the team president, joking that he gave Hamlin a slap on the wrist after a bump from the No. 11 car spun Bell into the inside wall after a Stage 1 restart last Sunday at Talladega.
“That was really cool that he watched the race,” Bell said with a smile. “It was a good lighthearted moment after — it’s hard to be lighthearted here in the Arlington Cemetery. So that was cool.”
Bell became the fifth defending winner of the Coke 600 to have the honor of visiting the cemetery and laying the wreath, joining past winners Brad Keselowski, Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin and Ryan Blaney. Though there are some four weeks before the series returns to the 1.5-mile Charlotte track, Bell already has a repeat trip to Victory Lane in mind for Sunday, May 25 (6 p.m. ET, Prime Video, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
“There’s no place I’d rather be than Charlotte Motor Speedway on Memorial Day Weekend,” Bell said. “It’s not just another event. They make it special, and it is truly one of the best and (most) special events of the year. Charlotte Motor Speedway on Memorial Day weekend, it’s second to none. It’s a dream come true that I even get to participate in that event, let alone win. It’s a big deal.”