The Chili Bowl Nationals was a success for Kyle Larson, where he claimed his third Golden Driller Trophy, equating fellow driver Christopher Bell’s trio of wins. While Bell secured his titles back-to-back from 2017 to 2019, Larson’s previous wins were in 2020 and 2021. Not long after the achievement Larson spoke about his desire to get another win under his belt, essentially surpassing Bell in the process.
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Larson remarked, “I don’t really think about the end number.. Just try to do a good job… It’s great to have three and be tied with Bell… That’s one that I think about. So, I would love to get the four to have something on him here in this building. But it’s cool.”
Kyle Larson on the big Daison Pursley slider, Paul Silva's contributions, those who say he's lucky
"Maybe I ramped the wall with skill"
Larson on being in the ballpark with Sammy and Kevin? Its a bigger deal to him to tie Christopher Bell because he wants one over him. pic.twitter.com/9wBxl1Icu8
— Matt Weaver (@MattWeaverRA) January 19, 2025
Earning the pole position for Saturday night’s feature event, Larson’s draw in the Pole Shuffle, and a subsequent victory on his qualifying night set him up for success. He took the top starting spot in a final showdown against Landon Brooks.
However, the 40-lap finale was fraught with challenges for him. With 17 laps remaining, Larson‘s car made contact with a lapped vehicle. Later, in the closing laps, he grazed the outside wall on the front stretch. But a timely caution flag allowed him to maintain his lead. Despite these obstacles, the HMS driver dominated the race, leading from start to finish and narrowly edging out Daison Pursley to secure his victory.
Meanwhile, Bell made his mark during Monday night’s Chili Bowl Race of Champions, clinching his third title at the event. He started the night moving from P4 to win his heat race and then began his qualifier in P5 and climbed to a P2-place finish, which positioned him to start fourth in the evening’s A Main.
On Saturday night, Bell faced a more challenging race. Starting from the P12 position in the A Main, he navigated through the field, managing to advance only as far as P10 by the end of the 40-lap feature.
