Christopher Bell: Kyle Larson’s ‘Covid Era’ Fiasco Behind the JGR Star’s “Hurt” Public Image

If you look at the NASCAR Cup Series lineup today, the one name you’d argue to be among the top 3 drivers is that of Kyle Larson. The former Cup Series champion is highly respected today but when the pandemic was at its peak, he perhaps made one of the biggest blunders of his life. The ripple effect it caused in NASCAR affected Christopher Bell to the point where he had to change how he was as a person as a result, which harmed how he was perceived by the fans. The Joe Gibbs Racing star shed light on this on a recent episode of The Dale Jr Download podcast.

Back in 2020, Larson was a part of Chip Ganassi Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series. While participating in an iRacing event, the 31-year-old uttered a racial slur which did not go down well with anyone and he was left with nearly no sponsors, and an indefinite suspension from NASCAR. Undoubtedly, it was one of the most difficult phases of his life.

Christopher Bell cites fear of getting into big trouble

But what does this have to do with Christopher Bell? In the NASCAR: Full Speed documentary, Bell opened up to the cameras after failing to finish the championship race. This was unusual for fans because the Joe Gibbs Racing driver never really shared this side of his before. He was always a private man who mostly kept to himself and let his driving do the talking. Well, it turns out that he was not like that once.

When Dale Earnhardt Jr asked about the sudden shift, the driver of the #20 said that he used to be quite active on social media before the pandemic and certain events during that time instilled a fear in him of saying the wrong thing and getting into big trouble. This was when Larson had also suffered from a similar fate, so it’s not a surprise that Christopher Bell wanted nothing to do with social media for a while and that hurt his public image.

“I’m like, I don’t wanna even think about going down the wrong road here and I took myself out of that position when I got off social media and just tried to keep to myself and my close circle and then fast forward a couple of years, I realize that it really was hurting my image to the public because nobody knows who I am. They had no idea who I was and just seeing comments of this guy is an a***e or people don’t like me…they don’t even know me. How do they not like me? So, the last 6 months or so, I tried to put myself out there more and let the world know who I am,” he said.

It seems like the 29-year-old is indeed slowly coming out of his shell as his confidence as a race car driver increases.

Christopher Bell Overcame a “Lot of New” to Hand Toyota Their First Win of the Season

Few involve themselves in a friendly banter with one of the most respected motorsports journalists during a press conference and Christopher Bell was one of them. After his win in Phoenix, the driver of the #20 called out Bob Pockrass and his poor prediction skills, and the duo went on to have a fun exchange.

“Bob, Christopher Bell, NASCAR driver. Did you pick me today?” the JGR star asked Pockrass. Bell knew that a ‘No’ was going to be the answer, as he added how the FOX reporter was never any good at making race predictions. “Bob’s picks are notoriously the worst. If he picks you, or at least me, if he picks me, I don’t win,” Bell said. Pockrass stated that he had picked Bell to win in Las Vegas, where he ended up finishing in P33 and Bell replied, “I know and I sucked.” He then went on to request the veteran reporter, all in good humor, to not pick him for the Bristol dirt race next weekend.

It is rare for drivers these days to engage in this kind of conversation and Christopher Bell is one of the last people you’d expect to do so. It left fans feeling surprised but in a good way.

Redemption Seeking Christopher Bell Highlights the Importance of Phoenix Victory After Last Season’s Championship Heartbreak