The Oklahoma City Thunder leveled the NBA Finals at one game apiece with a Game 2 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Sunday. The energy from the basketball court spilled onto the NASCAR track — and Christopher Bell and Chase Briscoe were right there to seize it.
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Bell and Briscoe were longtime friends before becoming teammates at Joe Gibbs Racing. Bell, a native of Oklahoma, put up a post on his X handle showcasing his support for the Oklahoma City Thunder. He wrote, “Thunder up!” along with a picture of himself waving to fans. Briscoe was left quite surprised by this sudden outward display of support.
The reason for that came in a reply that the No. 19 driver posted. He wrote, “I’ve known you for 15 years and this is the first time I’ve ever heard you talk about basketball.” Being an Indiana native, he voiced his support for the Pacers. Fans found the exchange hilarious and jumped in to tease Bell.
I’ve known you for 15 years and this is the first time I’ve ever heard you talk about basketball. Let’s go @Pacers! #YesCers https://t.co/ddEHzQFJXl
— Chase Briscoe (@chasebriscoe) June 9, 2025
One particular fan joked, “He can’t name 3 people on the team…. Lmao.” Another took a jab at Denny Hamlin for no reason, “Y’all are both fortunate to not be Charlotte Hornets fans like the guy in the 11 car, so there’s that.”
The NBA game ended with a score of 123-107. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the charge for the Thunder with 34 points.
When Bell spoiled the biggest announcement of Briscoe’s career
In the final days of 2024, the anticipation surrounding the driver to fill the gap left behind by Martin Truex Jr. at Joe Gibbs Racing was high. Many speculated that Briscoe would be the man for the job but nothing was confirmed for a long time. It was during a press meet at this time that Bell made a big mistake.
Discussing leadership changes within the team, he accidentally said, “Whenever Chase comes into the car…” before realizing his fault and stopping abruptly. But it was too late by then and every reporter in attendance had caught his words.
Fortunately, neither Briscoe nor the others at Joe Gibbs Racing took this too seriously and made the official announcement shortly after. But this didn’t mean that Briscoe held back from pulling his friend’s leg at every possible opportunity.
Ahead of 23XI Racing’s announcement regarding a third charter, Briscoe quipped on X, “Don’t let @CBellRacing near a mic.” Amid all the competition in NASCAR, light-hearted banter like this is refreshing to see.
