Christopher Bell’s re-introduction to the world of dirt-track racing could not have been more spectacular for the NASCAR Cup driver. Part of that credit goes to the owner fielding him in the sport’s highest echelon, Joe Gibbs. The #20 Toyota driver announced his return to the grassroots motorsport world in style after beating Kyle Larson during a thrilling finish in a non-wing feature in the Tulsa Shootout.
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Despite Larson’s advantage of having run several dirt track events over the past few seasons, Bell made sure everyone knew he was back racing on the loose stuff. The victory comes as a perfect reply to the Hendrick Motorsports driver’s High Limit win in Perth, Australia a few days ago.
Joe Gibbs Racing’s owner had earlier deemed regional dirt events to be too dangerous. So, Why has he let his drivers participate despite concerns that it could jeopardize their all-important Cup careers and the team’s mission? Former NASCAR driver Kenny Wallace seems to know. He elaborated on the topic on social media and said:
“Christopher Bell says, ‘Thank you, Joe Gibbs.’ Joe Gibbs said, ‘I don’t want my NASCAR drivers running dirt because you’re gonna hurt yourself and it’s going to destroy my, you know, those Cup cars are $20 million a year and all these employees.’ I’m not going to tell you who I called at Joe Gibbs but I said, ‘What made Coach change his mind?’ They said Ty Gibbs.”
RECAP/RESULTS >> Bell Fends Off Larson For Tulsa Shootout Glory In Non-Wing Outlaw Championship Event.
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— TulsaShootout (@TulsaShootout) January 5, 2025
Coach Gibbs seems to have taken a page out of fellow team owner and competitor Rick Hendrick’s playbook in relaxing the rules around his drivers. This is especially true after former Stewart-Haas Racing driver and another dirt-track aficionado, Chase Briscoe, joined the four-car-strong racing outfit.
Three out of their four drivers have cut their teeth on the loose stuff racing open-wheeled machines such as Sprint cars and midgets in their formative years. So it not only works out at mid-week practice for drivers to rekindle and approach a weekend differently. But it also builds morale in the team, especially when Larson’s exploits in the same domain have been gaining traction worldwide.
What does Ty Gibbs say of the development?
Ty Gibbs seemed to credit his teammates with what seemingly is his doing at his grandfather’s team and elaborated in an interview from 2024, saying:
“We have to credit Bell for all the time he’s put in making it happen. Bell’s been trying to have this situation for a long time and he slowly got it put together. Having Chase (Briscoe) come over, he’s a huge dirt guy. I would love to get involved with this. It all just worked its way out.”
All in all, fans of the sport, be it from the NASCAR side or the grassroots level, are going to credit this development. Signs of things to come have already been accepted by the fraternity, with the racing season kicking off with an absolute banger of a finish during the 40th annual Tulsa Shootout.
Meanwhile, NASCAR prepares to go racing at the Bowman Gray Stadium next month, followed by the regular season kicking off from the famed Daytona International Speedway a week after that.
