Although many drivers do not see each other eye to eye given their rivalries on the track or their off-track skirmishes, the relationship between Christopher Bell and Kyle Larson paints a different picture. The duo come from a dirt racing heritage, and engage in fierce competition on dirt tracks and across the NASCAR circuits but do not throw shade at each other ever.
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Bell recently shed light on their dynamic, stating, “I mean it is a rivalry I guess. I tried to ignore that word but we respect each other. We’re not enemies like we’re not going to sit here and go throw fists but we respect each other… we’re rivals. We’ve competed against each other for a long, long time, and many years to come.”
Bell added, “He [Larson] loves beating me and I love beating him. So, it is really cool. He’s the best race car driver of probably all time and anytime you get to beat him is a big deal.”
Recently, Bell received the green light from Joe Gibbs Racing to venture beyond NASCAR and participate in both the Shootout and Chili Bowl after three years.
At these events, Larson and Bell found themselves neck in neck as the Toyota driver returned to his dirt-track racing roots. Their rivalry even extended to the World of Outlaws races at Volusia, where Bell won the first Sprint race, besting Larson, only for Larson to turn the tables the next day, blocking Bell from back-to-back victories.
Reflecting on their ongoing competition ahead of the Duels at Daytona, Bell mused,
“It’s just ironic. We just show up at the Tulsa Shootout, there’s like literally 400 cars in this division… and it comes down to us. We run one-two, and then at the Chili Bowl – I dropped the ball. I didn’t finish second to him, he won. But then we go to Volusia and two out of the four nights we run one-two again. So, I don’t know why. It always comes down to us, but it does feel that way.”
When comparison with Larson was the biggest compliment for Bell
While Bell and Larson now frequently clash on the track, their rivalry has deep roots of competition and admiration. Back in 2018, when Bell was making a name for himself in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with Joe Gibbs Racing and Larson was shining in the Cup Series with Chip Ganassi’s racing outfit, Bell felt immensely honored to be compared to Larson.
Bell revered Larson, viewing him as the greatest racing talent, and considered it a big accolade to be mentioned alongside the #5 driver. Though both drivers fell short of making the Championship Four last season, their performances were nothing short of stellar the year prior, with Bell finishing P4 and Larson securing P2 place in the standings.
it remains to be seen what either of the two can achieve this weekend as the sport prepares to kick the regular season off with the famed Daytona 500 this Sunday.
