During the final stages of the Chili Bowl Nationals race, Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell were battling hard. Unfortunately for Bell, he lost control of his car with 2 laps to go and had an ominous wreck. This left Larson unchallenged for the remaining laps and he comfortably clinched the victory.

Speaking after the race, he talked about the race and even Bell’s crash. He admitted that the pandemic’s presence has changed the atmosphere, compared to last year.

Obviously, the drivers miss the fans terribly. Larson hoped that at least by next year, a sense of normalcy is restored.

On the subject of Bell, he said, “Bell put a lot of pressure on me. I just had to get my mind focused, because [Justin] Grant was also putting a ton of pressure on me. Bell is the best in here, so once he’s out, it takes a load off everybody.”

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Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell dueled for a long time

Although he led every lap in the race, it was hardly a fully dominant display. This is because Bell hounded him for most of the race, only to falter with his crash.

The good news was that the Joe Gibbs Racing driver was able to walk away unscathed. Meanwhile, back on the track, Justin Grant took over for Bell and turned the heat up.

Somehow, Larson was able to soak it all in and withstand the relentless attacks. Eventually, he was rewarded for his patience with a second consecutive win at the Chili Bowl Nationals. In other words, he managed to successfully defend the crown that he earned last year.

Meanwhile, Christopher Bell can only rue what could have been. Especially since he was the Chili Bowl champion for 3 straight years before Larson wrested it from his grasp.