MORE THAN JUST RUNNING LAPS

A Season That Fell Short of Expectations

The checkered flag has fallen on the third season of the NRRS Town Fair Cup Series, bringing another chapter of Hailey Bell’s racing career to a close.

For the driver of Aetherwing eMotorsports’ No. 32 Toyota, the numbers provide a straightforward overview of the year: 22 starts in a 25-race championship, 12 top-five finishes, three podiums, and an average finishing position of 5.64.

Across the entire season, NRRS fields averaged 8.84 competitors.

On paper, Bell finished inside the top five in more than half of her appearances.

But statistics alone do not explain how she experienced the season.

“I’m not satisfied at all,” Bell said when reflecting on her performance.

Her dissatisfaction centers on an inability to consistently compete toward the front of the field. Across 22 starts, Bell finished on the podium just three times: once in second place and twice in third.

Her strongest result came on June 16 at Talladega Superspeedway, where she finished runner-up in a 12-car field.

Third-place finishes at Auto Club Speedway and New Hampshire Motor Speedway completed her podium tally.

There were no victories.

For Bell, the frustration extended far beyond the championship standings. Despite regularly completing races, she often felt disconnected from the battles unfolding ahead of her.

It was a recurring experience that would eventually leave her questioning whether she wanted to continue racing.

The Struggle to Find Speed

Bell’s difficulties were complicated by an unusual season of adjustments.

According to Bell, NRRS changed racing games twice during the championship campaign, forcing drivers to adapt to different environments while competition continued.

“It didn’t help that we swapped games twice throughout the season,” she explained.

For Bell, finding and maintaining competitive speed became a persistent challenge.

She described struggling to keep pace when assistance was unavailable and expressed frustration at not understanding why she frequently found herself behind the other competitors.

The problem became increasingly discouraging between the All-Star Race and the beginning of the Chase.

During that stretch, Bell felt she was repeatedly producing results that failed to meet her expectations.

The disappointment accumulated.

Each race represented another opportunity to turn things around, but too often the result left Bell questioning her performance rather than celebrating it.

Eventually, the frustration reached a point where simply continuing to compete became difficult.

For a driver who entered the season wanting to enjoy racing alongside her friends, the experience had become something very different.

Four Races That Felt Different

There was one notable exception to Bell’s struggles.

Daytona and Talladega.

Across her four superspeedway starts, Bell finished fifth, second, fourth, and fourth.

Her average finish across those events was 3.75 — considerably stronger than her 6.06 average across the remaining 18 starts.

But the importance of those races extended beyond finishing positions.

“Both Daytona races and both Talladega races I was with the pack and a part of the action and was actually having fun,” Bell recalled.

At the superspeedways, she was able to stay involved in the pack, battle other drivers, and participate in the moments that make racing memorable.

She wasn’t simply watching the field race away from her.

She was part of it.

Those four events became reminders of the experience she had hoped to enjoy throughout Season 3.

The Chase and a Season Reaching Its Breaking Point

Bell entered the six-race championship Chase having secured her third consecutive NRRS postseason appearance.

But the postseason did not provide the reset she had hoped for.

She opened the Chase with a fifth-place result at Darlington Raceway before missing North Wilkesboro due to work commitments.

A fourth-place finish at Talladega followed, but an eighth-place result at Portland brought another frustrating evening.

At New Hampshire, Bell earned her third and final podium finish of the season, crossing the line in third place.

It was a positive result near the end of a difficult campaign.

Still, the championship finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway awaited.

What should have been one final opportunity to compete instead became the most painful disappointment of the season.

Homestead: The Race That Never Began

Bell arrived at Homestead-Miami Speedway for the Season 3 championship finale and qualified fourth.

It was an encouraging starting position and a potential opportunity to close the season on a stronger note.

Unfortunately, she never got that opportunity.

Before the race, a game update began installing but failed to complete properly, delaying her ability to enter the event.

When Bell was eventually able to access the game, another problem emerged.

Her controller malfunctioned, becoming unusable both inside and outside the racing game.

The issues persisted while the rest of the field continued preparing for and competing in the championship race.

By the time Bell finally had a functioning controller, successfully loaded into the game, and spawned her car, the event was already over.

She had qualified fourth.

She had never taken the green flag.

For Bell, the disappointment went beyond missing one race.

It was the culmination of a season in which she had already struggled to find speed, confidence, and enjoyment.

Following Homestead, she seriously considered abandoning her planned 2027 Full Heart Tour.

The season that was supposed to lead into her final full-time campaign had nearly convinced her not to return at all.

A Promise Worth Keeping

Despite the disappointment of Homestead, Bell’s story will not end with Season 3.

Her upcoming Full Heart Tour will mark her final planned full-time NRRS campaign, and it will take place with a new organization.

For 2027, Bell will join StarClutch Racing, driving the No. 28 Cadillac.

The move represents more than a change in team colors, equipment, or manufacturer.

It represents a commitment to two people who mean a great deal to her.

Clutch and Will are among Bell’s closest friends, both on and off the racetrack.

Their decision to welcome her into StarClutch Racing became a major factor in her choice to continue.

“I can’t abandon them when they decided to take a chance with me and sign me to their team for next season,” Bell explained.

Bell feels a responsibility to reward that confidence.

“I have to prove to them that they made the right decision with taking a chance with me.”

It is a commitment she intends to honor.

There is no guarantee that moving to StarClutch will immediately resolve the difficulties that defined her previous campaign.

But Bell is entering the next season with a renewed purpose, driven not just by performance expectations, but by the relationships that have made racing meaningful to her.

What Success Really Means

For many drivers, a successful final season might be measured through victories, championship points, or trophies.

Bell’s expectations are different.

When asked what would make her Full Heart Tour worthwhile, her answer was remarkably simple.

“Honestly, better races than I ran this past season is all I want.”

She wants to compete.

She wants to stay with the pack.

She wants the opportunity to fight for positions and enjoy the same moments that her friends and fellow competitors experience.

Above all, she wants to be remembered as someone who was part of those moments.

Bell’s biggest disappointment in Season 3 was not merely finishing toward the rear of the field.

It was the feeling of being present without truly participating.

While others battled for victories, traded positions, and created unforgettable memories, Bell too often found herself too far behind to join them.

She wants that to change.

She wants other drivers to look forward to competing against her — not simply because another car has entered the race, but because they genuinely enjoy the battles they share.

For Bell, that would represent a far more meaningful improvement than any particular position in the championship standings.

One More Season. Full Heart.

NRRS Season 3 was not the year Hailey Bell hoped it would be.

There were no victories. Only three podiums. A frustrating struggle for consistent pace. Two missed races because of work commitments. And a championship finale that ended before she ever reached the starting grid.

At times, the disappointment was enough to make Bell question whether continuing was worthwhile.

But the season also revealed what she values most about competition.

At Daytona and Talladega, she found the racing experience she had been searching for: close battles, shared excitement, and the feeling of being genuinely involved.

Those moments now provide a picture of what she hopes to experience more consistently in 2027.

Her final full-time campaign will bring a new team, new number, new manufacturer, and another opportunity to write a meaningful chapter in her racing career.

She will enter that season with the support of Clutch, Will, and StarClutch Racing — determined to honor the commitment she made to them.

The goal is not necessarily to leave NRRS as a champion.

It is to leave knowing that she gave herself the opportunity to truly enjoy racing again.

To be part of the battles.

To be part of the friendships.

To be part of the memories.

And when her final full-time checkered flag falls, Bell hopes she will remember more than the number of laps she completed.

She hopes to remember the moments she was part of.

ONE MORE SEASON. FULL HEART.