The likes of Kyle Larson and Alex Bowman have the luxury of racing sprint cars or midgets on the dirt after the conclusion of the NASCAR season. Now, we all know about Larson’s racing prowess on the dirt track, but he isn’t the only driver in the Cup garage to possess these skill sets. Christopher Bell from Joe Gibbs Racing Camp could argue he is a better dirt racer than his rivals. He has three Chili Bowl titles to his name, which is evidence enough that he can give Larson a run for his money if allowed to race with him.

Since 2022, JGR followed a strict policy of not allowing their star drivers to compete on the dirt tracks. The reason was that they didn’t want to risk a major injury to their drivers that, in turn, could derail their NASCAR season. But something changed this time around, as team owner Joe Gibbs lifted the restrictions. Christopher Bell was stunned to see this change in policy. “I was definitely caught off guard by the change of policy.”

One might think that Chase Briscoe joining the team might have played a role in bringing about this new change in the team. But, it seems like all this time, it was Joe Gibbs’ grandson Ty Gibbs who was calling the shots. The driver of the #54 Toyota Camry will be making his debut at the USAC Nationals Midget race at Ventura Raceway.

“🚨 USAC @NosEnergyDrink National Midget Debut! 🚨 @TyGibbs is on hand for this weekend to drive a third @_CBIndustries car at @ventura_raceway for the #TurkeyNightGP. The @NASCAR_Xfinity & @ARCA_Racing champ will drive the #81. Practice tonight. Race Saturday. 👊” USAC Racing shared this update on X. It makes you wonder that for the past few years, Coach bared one of the best dirt racers to compete in the off-season, but things changed when Ty Gibbs wanted to do the same.

NASCAR fans could connect all the dots and were convinced that Ty Gibbs was the real reason JGR lifted the ban from dirt racing.

Ty Gibbs, the real architect behind lifting the non-NASCAR racing ban at JGR

Our team at EssentiallySports had already decoded this mystery as Ty Gibbs was reported to be seen racing a midget car at Millbridge. Moreover, Chad Boat, the team Ty is racing for, is associated with TRD. So the connection was obvious; it’s now that these speculations have finally come true with this announcement. And the fans have also now deciphered the real reason behind this welcoming change at JGR. “So that’s why the JGR policy about dirt racing got changed.”

Joe Gibbs had a pretty good reason to keep his driver in check. Alex Bowman from HMS injured himself mid-season in 2023, competing in the High Limits Racing Series event. He lost four weeks of NASCAR races and didn’t qualify for the playoffs. However, when Ty Gibbs found a new passion, things started to loosen up, and ultimately it allowed Bell and Briscoe to enjoy their racing away from NASCAR. Another fan added, “He’s 100% the reason the rule changed.” 

Not only Ty, but superstar drivers Kyle Busch and Kyle Larson are also competing in the USAC Nationals Midget race at Ventura Raceway. Busch is just in his learning stage to prepare for his Chili Bowl event, while Larson is trying to recover from his disappointment at Bakersfield where could not finish the race because of technical issues. Will Ty Gibbs play a spoiler to either Rowdy or Larson? That is indeed a possibility, and he certainly won’t mind getting even on the dirt. However, Ty Gibbs’ participation in this race is all thanks to his grandpa, as one fan pointed out, “Ty is already taking advantage of his grandfather ending the “no dirt track racing” rule.”

“I didn’t know in my first year getting there, I would still be able to go do stuff if I wanted to.” This was Briscoe’s response to the easing of restrictions at JGR. Now like Bell, Briscoe also grew up racing dirt in Indiana. His family has a legacy of racing at some of the toughest dirt tracks in the country. So with Briscoe, Bell, and Ty all lining up for some dirt racing action, Coach finally gave them the go-ahead. And this race fan agreed with this theory: “I have to think briscoe also played a big part in this.”

Only Kyle Busch so far has confirmed his entry for the historic event Chili Bowl Nationals. But given that the JGR drivers are now free to race on dirt, Bell will hope to clinch his fourth Chili Bowl crown. However, Larson has a packed schedule and has an international trip lined up, so his appearance, but he can always make a surprise entry like he did this year. Excited by the prospect of seeing multiple NASCAR drivers race at the Chili Bowl in January, a fan replied, “Gibbs, Bell, Larson, and Busch all in the Chili Bowl this year?!”

With the way things are shaping up, it won’t be a surprise to see half a dozen NASCAR drivers turning up at Chili Bowl Nationals.