The desire of Joe Gibbs Racing to allow its drivers to race
outside of NASCAR could lead to more memorable on-track encounters between Christopher Bell and Kyle Larson.
From 2017 to 2021, Bell and Larson were the only drivers to win the prestigious Chili Bowl National Championships Model car racing in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Bell won three years in a row – earning his third straight victory in this event with a pass from Larson on the final lap – and Larson won the race the next two years.
Joe Gibbs Racing generally restricts its drivers from racing outside of NASCAR for fear they might get injured. This position has been changed with Chase Briscoe joining the team for the 2025 season. Bell and Briscoe have raced on dirt and Ty Gibbs has interest in doing so as well.
“I guess we have the majority now,” Briscoe said. “I think Bell is probably excited, for sure, and I think Ty even, it seems like he wants to do more dirt racing.”
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Larson can’t wait to see Bell back on earth.
“I think it’s great for him,” Larson said of Bell. “I think it’s great for the sport, NASCAR and grassroots racing. It’s exciting. I’m happy that he can do it, again and I hope we have many more battles in the midgets and sprint cars later.
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Although Bell hasn’t raced on dirt lately, Larson isn’t worried about how Bell will perform.
“He’s still Christopher Bell, and I wouldn’t be surprised whenever he wins his first race,” Larson said. “Hopefully we can run and fight in front and have duels like we used to. Hopefully I can win more often because he beat me all the time for a long time.
When informed of Larson’s comment, Bell responded, “He’s going to have the upper hand for a little while.” He’s two years ahead of me, so I’ll have to get my dirt shoes under me and get back up to speed.
“I hope at some point I can get back up to speed. That’s going to be the hardest part, just being out of the car for so long. I hope it’s like riding a bike. I guess we’re about to find out.
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Bell said he doesn’t know when he will run on land. He will be present at the Tulsa Shootout, the event which takes place from December 30 to January 4 is intended for micro-sprints and precedes the Chili Bowl national championships. Bell will be at Shooting in Tulsa to help his father-in-law’s team. Bell said he wasn’t sure he’d be able to run there. He also said “it’s certainly not too late” to find a vehicle for the Chili Bowl Nationals, which will be held Jan. 12-18.
“Right now, I have no plans to do that,” Bell said. “I personally have some issues going on, but you never know.”
Although Briscoe has run his share of dirt races, he says his focus will change in his first season with Joe Gibbs Racing and he will take over the No. 19 race with Martin Truex Jr. moving away from Cup racing to full time.
“I’m totally happy not running anything, just with whatever I have at home,” said Briscoe, who has three children, including twins born in October. “Even on the professional side, I’m just trying to settle in at JGR. Maybe once I’m a little more settled, I’ll go back and start handling some things.
“For the moment, honestly, the desire is not really there. I’m so focused on trying to do things right and make this opportunity go as smoothly as possible. I just want my full focus on that.
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But Briscoe appreciates that team owner Joe Gibbs is softening his stance on the team’s drivers racing outside of NASCAR.
“I’m just grateful to at least have the opportunity to do it,” Briscoe said. “At first, when I got there, I thought that even if I wanted to go… I wouldn’t even be able to go, whereas now at least I have this option to go.
“I’m grateful they opened the reins a little bit. I even talked to (Joe Gibbs) about it. I totally understand the risk/reward on the ownership side, but I think he understands the value of how much better it makes us when we do these things. I hope we can all have fun doing it and obviously be safe doing it as well.
Many Cup drivers have sought to race outside of NASCAR with limited track time. Most weekends, Cup drivers have about 20 minutes of practice time before qualifying and the race. Larson continues to race on dirt and has won a series-high six Cup races this year. William Byron ran on the sidewalk and used it to hone his skills. He has reached Championship 4 in each of the last two seasons.
Ty Gibbs also has interest in running races on dirt beyond his limited experience on that surface.
“It’s important to me because racing is my livelihood and I really enjoy it,” he said. “It’s my hobby as much as my career and it’s something I love doing. I feel like I was put on earth to run.
