Racer and TV Analyst Townsend Bell Loses Three Homes in California Wildfires

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Townsend Bell spent the entire offseason anxious to find out if Fox Sports would hire him as an analyst for its first season covering IndyCar. When he finally secured the role, he was on his initial call with his new producer when his wife rushed into his California office to inform him that their Pacific Palisades neighborhood was ablaze and evacuation was necessary.

Bell and his wife drove to her mother’s home in Santa Monica, where they tuned in to the news about the devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles area. He kept in touch with neighbors, viewed footage from his Ring camera, and tried to stay calm.

Then it hit him: he had left all his racing gear at home just one day before departing for a three-week trip, which included a driving role in the upcoming Rolex 24 at Daytona. Bell persuaded his wife to let him make a quick trip back to retrieve his belongings, but he needed to navigate the heavy traffic to return to Pacific Palisades.

His fix? Rent a scooter parked on the street.

Bell attempted to scoot his way back into the area, but when the scooter failed, he had to run uphill for the final two miles to his residence. As the flames drew nearer, he called his wife to ask which three items she wanted him to retrieve. He spent 12 frantic minutes racing through the house while snapping pictures for insurance purposes.

Bell managed to grab his racing helmet, ear plugs, and everything else he would need for the whirlwind trip where he was introduced in Indianapolis as part of the Fox Sports booth and then headed to Daytona International Speedway to compete for Vasser Sullivan Racing.

He has secured a place to stay in Daytona, but after the race concludes a week from Sunday, Bell is uncertain about where he will reside. His Pacific Palisades home was among the few that survived in a neighborhood ravaged by fires, sustaining severe smoke and soot damage that will render it uninhabitable for likely a year.

Both of his rental properties in Malibu were completely destroyed, and when he departed California last week, his wife was staying at a friend’s guest house in Sherman Oaks. Bell’s thoughts often drift back to his scooter ride, where he witnessed mothers rushing into schools to retrieve their children, only to find those schools now gone.

“The whole Palisades looks like a nuclear bomb went off,” Bell shared with The Associated Press. “I’m at a loss for what to do next. There’s no water, no power, no gas, no schools, no post office, practically nothing left in our neighborhood.”

It’s an unfortunate way to kick off a year that began with so much promise on New Year’s Day. Bell had been on a family vacation in New Zealand, where his two sons insisted they stop by the Rolex store the day prior. His spirits plummeted upon entering: the Rolex he had won for a class victory at Daytona in 2014 had been stolen during a burglary in 2018.

However, his mood improved on New Year’s Day when Jimmy Vasser reached out to invite him to join the Lexus program for this year’s Rolex. Just a day earlier, Bell, who hadn’t raced in three years, believed he’d lost his chance to reclaim his stolen watch.

During the race, Bell will not only compete but also aid NBC Sports’ coverage. Although he faces uncertainty about what awaits him back in California, he maintains a positive outlook as he looks to replace his stolen watch while starting his new chapter with Fox Sports.

“You know, I was racing here when my home got burglarized. I’m racing here now with no idea what the future holds besides dealing with insurance when I return home,” Bell remarked. “It’s true that Daytona has a strange and unsettling atmosphere. But I’m genuinely excited for the opportunity to be here.”

By Jenna Fryer