Earlier this week, Joe Gibbs Racing lifted the restrictions that prohibited his NASCAR Cup Series drivers from participating in dirt racing. That is exciting news for Christopher Bell and now Chase Briscoe, both JGR drivers with successful dirt backgrounds.
And whenever Bell in particular finds his way back to the dirt track, Kyle Larson will be waiting right there for him. The two wheelmen had some battles on dirt over the years, and Larson is looking forward to duking it out with Bell again in the near future.
“He’s still Christopher Bell and I wouldn’t be surprised whenever his first race is if he goes and wins,” Larson said Friday, via Dustin Long of NBC Sports. “Hopefully, we’ll get to race and battle up front and have some duels like we used to and hopefully I’ll come out on top more often because he beat me all the time for a long time. But I’m happy. I think it’s good for the sport.”
Christopher Bell excited for opportunity to make dirt racing return
Before he became one of NASCAR’s best, Bell cut his teeth on dirt in the United States Auto Club (USAC). Bell joined Keith Kunz Motorsports in 2013, replacing Larson, who made the jump to the Xfinity Series.
The 29-year-old quickly made a name for himself in sprint cars, winning the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals in three consecutive years (2017-19), joining Sammy Swindell and Kevin Swindell as the only three-time winners of the event. Bell attempted to make it four straight in 2020 but was denied by Larson. The Hendrick Motorsports star returned the next year and won it again.
Bell, who outside of two micro sprint races in May hasn’t competed in dirt since mid-2022, said he was surprised by JGR’s decision to lift the restriction.
“I was definitely caught off guard by the change of policy,” Bell said, via Jeff Gluck of The Athletic. “I was super shocked, but with Chase coming on board and Ty [Gibbs] growing an interest in dirt racing, it’s nice we have the majority of our team aligned with it now.”
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