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Christopher Bell reacts to narrow win over Kyle Larson in World of Outlaws season opener

JHby:Jonathan Howard•02/07/25•

Jondean25

Christopher Bell NASCAR
Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images

Having Christopher Bell back in the dirt racing world is perhaps the best gift that Joe Gibbs Racing has given to motorsports in a long time. It isn’t just fun to see the NASCAR driver in his element on dirt, but to watch his rivalry with Kyle Larson pick right up where it left off is amazing.

During the Tulsa Shootout and Chili Bowl Nationals, Christopher Bell and Kyle Larson traded blows. Bell got the best of Larson in the micros, and then Larson took the Chili Bowl win in the midget car.

Back on the dirt outdoors at Volusia Speedway, another great battle unfolded. A Lap 22 spin by Emerson Axsom set up a three-lap shootout between Bell and Larson. It was as epic as you can imagine.

In the end, all that separated them was 0.05 seconds. Christopher Bell won from the pole while Larson charged to P2 from a P4 starting position.

“All week long I’ve been struggling to know where I needed to be,” Bell said after the big win. “And through the dash, Logan was really really good and I felt like I, starting the race, that I needed to just commit to the top and try and run as many laps as I could up there. Then the 27 drove by me but I knew that as the top got thicker and thicker I just kept getting tighter and tighter and tighter.

“So, the last three laps I’m just thinking about where I can run the smoothest laps at, and whenever I peeled down to the bottom like I heard him out there the entire time. So, yeah, that was a hell of a race, I had a lot of fun.”

Besides the win, Christopher Bell now leads the World of Outlaws points standings.

Christopher Bell could enter the Kyle Larson conversation

For the last few years, there have been those in NASCAR who have felt Christopher Bell was slept on. While Kyle Larson was running around and racing all the time on dirt, asphalt, and in the Cup Series, Bell was restricted by Joe Gibbs Racing. No longer is he restrained.

Since 2022, Bell has won eight races in the Cup Series with JGR. He has also been prevented from racing on dirt during that time. Now as he returns to the sprint cars, he has a chance to make the case that he is just as talented and multifaceted as Larson.

We are seeing it in the Cup Series. We are seeing it on dirt. Bell and Larson are two of the fastest drivers by pure speed in North America. Regardless of the car. Bell has shown as much with his eight wins and his 13 pole awards since 2022. Larson, well, his accomplishments speak for themselves.

The more Christopher Bell vs. Kyle Larson races we get the better. I want to see these two go at it. Give NASCAR a pair of exciting drivers vying for the top spot in the sport. That kind of competition Gibbs vs. Hendrick, Toyota vs. Chevy, Bell vs. Larson. That is what the sport needs to put itself back into the mainstream conversation.