Imagine a three-time Chili Bowl National winner watching his NASCAR rival competing on a dirt track every off-season. This is what Joe Gibbs Racing star Christopher Bell had to go through every year, seeing Kyle Larson enjoy his time racing in multiple events. Team owner Joe Gibbs Racing looked after his assets by not allowing his drivers to compete in non-NASCAR races. He saw what happened with Alex Bowman and wasn’t willing to risk a similar fate for his star driver.

However, with Chase Briscoe’s arrival and Ty Gibbs’ growing interest in dirt racing, it was just overwhelming for Coach to stick by his stance. Finally, he lifted the embargo and allowed his drivers to compete in different events. This change of policy at JGR certainly caught Bell by surprise. But given that he’s racking up wins on the dirt side, this decision might be positive for the team.

Christopher Bell feels he will be sharp for NASCAR races at the start of the season

“Thank You Joe Gibbs,” were Bell’s first words after beating Kyle Larson to bag a Golden Driller at the Tulsa Shootout. Clearly, the driver of the No. 20 Toyota Camry was in his element and enjoying every bit of the moment competing on the dirt. Well, the winning run didn’t stop at Tulsa, he’s now kickstarted his Chili Bowl National campaign with a victory in the Race of Champions.

This is the sort of freedom Bell prayed for so long, and now that he’s finally got it, he is making the most of it. “I think freedom is the right word for it. It’s very refreshing to know that if I want to do it I can do it. And it’s in my own hands now, caught me by surprise whenever I got that phone call that said that I’m gonna be able to go race. Huge credit to Joe for just realizing what’s out there right?” The JGR driver said these during the press conference at Chili Bowl.

Christopher Bell usually brings out his A-game late in the season during the playoffs. He could reach the final race in the 2022 and 2023 seasons, but race manipulation tactics saw Bell pull off a Hail Melon 2.0 marred 2024. However, all his efforts were in vain, as he could not reach the final mile despite a consistent playoff run. That could change this year, as he’s already in the groove and has started picking up wins on the dirt side of things.

Although Bell has the freedom now, he understands nothing is more important than winning the Cup Series with JGR. “I want to be really respectful of the races that I chose to run and make sure I’m not jeopardizing anything on my day job, which is driving the No. 20 NASCAR Cup Series Camry. During the off-season, it makes a lot of sense and I think hopefully I’m able to reward JGR with better performances early in the season because I have been racing hopefully I’m a little bit sharper when I get back into the 20-car I guess in a couple of weeks.” Bell said in a different interview with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

And why should NASCAR fans have all the fun? Thanks to this new change at JGR, race fans will enjoy the Larson vs. Bell rivalry on the dirt track. And, the HMS star is glad that he’s able to compete against the best of the best.

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Kyle Larson is happy to trade blows against Bell on the dirt

The non-wing A-main race at the Tulsa Shootout had the fans inside the SageNet Centre on their feet. Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell were going at each other with three laps to go in the race. Constant lead changes and both drivers switching lanes were peak racing entertainment for the fans. However, as the two came side by side, Bell could edge past Larson on the high side and snagged a memorable win against his NASCAR rival.

Despite getting beaten by his on-track rival, Larson is glad to be racing against Bell. Well, he certainly has a shot at getting even with him with the Chili Bowl Nationals lined up next.

“For the last 12 years, we have competed with each other. We’ve both pushed each other to get here, and I think it is good for any athlete to have that person to push you, and I think we push each other. We’ve had a log of great battles; he’s probably come out on top probably more often than me, at least back in the day. He had this stint where he wasn’t allowed to race, which was nice for me, sure,” Larson said ahead of a Chili Bowl event.

If anything, race fans are happy to see two talented race car drivers being able to put on a show in a non-NASCAR race. This also puts NASCAR in a good light; after all, it’s their star drivers dominating race events away from the traditional ovals.