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Amanda BrooksESPN
When the checkered flag waved on Saturday night’s Chili Bowl Nationals, Christopher Bell hoisted the trophy, Kyle Larson was dejected, and fans wanted more. Again. With NASCAR on hold for another three weeks, many race fans tuned in to last weekend’s prestigious dirt race to fill a void, only to witness a familiar scene; that of Bell and Larson battling for the win.
Larson, who drives the No. 42 Chevrolet for Chip Ganassi Racing in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, led on the last lap before getting passed by Bell. The win gave Bell, a regular for Joe Gibbs Racing in the XFINITY Series, his third Chili Bowl win.
Larson, though disappointed in missing out on the elusive win for the second straight year, did what any good friend and competitor would do; made his way to victory lane to shake hands with Bell. Following the event, Bell took to Twitter to acknowledge his fellow racer’s desire to take home the Golden Driller trophy.
I can’t wait to see that building explode the year @KyleLarsonRacin finally conquers the @cbnationals. Thank you to all the fans that showed up and create this amazing event!https://twitter.com/CBellRacing/status/1086936691838013440
— Christopher Bell (@CBellRacing) January 20, 2019
The Chili Bowl was not the first time the two met during the short hiatus from stock car racing. Following the end of the NASCAR season just one week before Thanksgiving, the two put on a show just days later behind the wheels of midget cars in the Turkey Night Classic. Bell beat Larson for the second consecutive year. They later rang in the New Year racing against each other in New Zealand.
The Larson and Bell rivalry of sorts has left many fans wondering just when it will move to the premier stage. Bell, who set a series record for rookies in XFINITY competition last season by scoring seven wins, is set for another season in the second-tier division in 2019 despite voicing his desire to move to the Cup Series.
Larson, who bested Bell in one-two finishes twice in XFINITY competition last year, will remain full-time in Cup. The weekly battle may simply be on the back burner not due to readiness, but availability. JGR currently houses four full-time Cup teams with Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Erik Jones, and its newest addition, the 2017 champion Martin Truex, Jr.
Without any room for Bell in a Cup car, Gibbs will keep him in an XFINITY car and stock car fans will simply have to look forward to any potential races Larson might line up for this season. Of course, fans of racing can simply do what they did last weekend, and look for the two at a dirt track.