Christopher Bell's Heartfelt Reaction To Tulsa Shootout Victory After Beating Kyle Larson

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Christopher Bell claimed victory at the Tulsa Shootout, overcoming the strong driving of Kyle Larson on Saturday night.

The win marked Bell's resurgence in a sport he had been restricted from participating in due to previous corporate policies within his NASCAR team, Joe Gibbs Racing.

Bell's triumph came at the Smiley's Racing Products Tulsa Shootout. This year's event shattered previous records with 1,855 entries, attracting drivers from 43 states and five countries.

Not only did Bell win in a challenging field, but he also returned to a passion that had been put on pause by a policy from Joe Gibbs Racing, designed to prevent injuries after a serious incident involving a fellow engineer occurred in 2022.

However, late in the 2024 season, this restrictive policy was lifted, giving Bell and others like Ty Gibbs and newcomer Chase Briscoe the green light to race again. Happy about this change, Bell said to Flo Racing:

"I've got four words, Thank you Joe Gibbs!"

Kyle Larson, who finished second, commented on Bell being able to participate, as quoted by NBC Sports:

"I think that's great for him.

"I think that's great for the sport, NASCAR and grassroots racing. It's exciting. I'm glad that he gets to do it, again and hopefully, we'll get to have many more battles in the midgets and sprint cars down the road."

The Tulsa Shootout serves as a prelude to the much-anticipated Chili Bowl Nationals. Bell, a standout winner of the Chili Bowl from 2017 to 2019, is among a star-studded list of entrants that includes Kyle Larson, Ty Gibbs, Kyle Busch, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and J.J. Yeley.

The Chili Bowl is scheduled for January 12-18 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. This comes ahead of the NASCAR Cup Series which will kick off on February 2 with The Clash, which both Bell and Larson are set to compete in.