“I Had Similar Critics”: Jimmie Johnson Comes to Christopher Bell’s Defense After Kyle Larson Battle

When NASCAR drivers are out on the track, every decision they make must be made in a split second and there is no time to think about an alternative strategy while out there battling for position. This was the case for Christopher Bell during the race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway last weekend.

Following the race several people had been quick to criticise Bell for not being brave enough to win the race against Kyle Larson. This accusation led Bell to explain why he did not choose to wreck or push aside Larson on the final turn. Listening to Bell having to defend his actions, Hendrick Motorsport legend Jimmie Johnson chimed in and extended support to the JGR driver.

Jimmie Johnson backs Christopher Bell after being criticized

Responding to Bell’s interview clip where he shared his side of the story, Johnson reshared the JGR driver’s response over his social media with the caption reading, “Keep being you @CBellRacing. I had similar critics… everything turned out fine. #JustSaying”

Having been in the game for such a long period of time, Johnson understands why Bell had to end up justifying not being aggressive against Larson while racing to the flag.

Keep being you @CBellRacing. I had similar critics… everything turned out fine. #JustSaying https://t.co/38y2HO5qf5

— Jimmie Johnson (@JimmieJohnson) October 19, 2023

People often have several opinions about what a driver does, but at the end of the day, it is upon the driver to think for himself and do what suits him best at that very moment.

What did Bell say to defend himself from the criticism?

In an interview with journalist Bob Pockrass, Bell had to defend his choice to not wreck Larson during the race. He stated, “Whenever I got out of the car, I genuinely didn’t know what other moves I could have made to win the race. And you know, I’m not willing to blatantly wreck somebody and I don’t even think that I really had the opportunity to blatantly wreck…”

“It’s not like I lifted coming to the checkered flag. I didn’t lift off the accelerator and I didn’t pile drive him (Larson), so my run wasn’t massive. It’s certainly if the 38 car wasn’t on the bottom, I think I probably could have gone to the inside and maybe got alongside of him. But even at that, I don’t know that I would have cleared it…”

Bell concluded by saying that at the time of the decision, it was his own choice and he acted based on where he was at that moment. He added that if he had multiple chances, he might have won the race, but he only had one opportunity to make a split-second decision, and unfortunately, he did not win the race.