The rivalry between the NASCAR stars is finally heating up at the “Mecca of Micro-sprints.” Surprisingly, it was Kyle Busch who started off on a winning note with his back-to-back wins in the heat races. Well, Kyle Larson wasn’t going to be left out as he clinched a crucial win to keep himself in contention for the Tulsa Shootout title. Well, it was about time that Christopher Bell had his major win of the event, and he managed to do just that with a thrilling last-lap pass.

Competing in the qualifier 5 of the Non-wing Outlaw class, Bell was up against the task of securing his first win of the 2025 season. Seeing both Busch and Larson get the monkey off that back, he was feeling the heat to deliver the goods. Although he drew blanks in the heat races so far this week, he certainly came in clutch when he needed it the most.

Christopher Bell keeping up with his NASCAR rivals

Bell was desperate to get to the lead with just two laps to go in the race. McLaughlin was leading the charge and trying to fend off the JGR star and maintain his advantage. Bell was running in third by this time, but as the lead drivers headed for Turn 1, he made a dive-bomb move on the inside lane. He continued to run the similar lane the entirety of the lap, but he took his opponents by surprise as the white flag was waving.

Ditching the inside lane, the driver of the #21 car took the high line, forcing McLaughlin to cover the inside lane. Surprisingly, Bell never made a move to get back in that position; rather, he put his foot to the gas and ran the high lane. It looked as if the NASCAR star just won’t make the transfer in time but his run off the top lane was indeed good as he took the win in a photo finish. 0.029 was the difference between the race winner and the runner-up.

“Yeah, I can’t thank enough the track crew, man. This place has been amazing all week, and it’s about time the driver of the #21 finally showed up this week. So cars are obviously beautiful. Can’t thank Pristine Auction enough, all of our partners. Took me a little bit to get comfortable this week, and we hit on it. But yeah, that was awesome. Qualifiers here are what it’s all about.” Bell said this in an interview to Flo Racing after the race.

Well, a lot of credit for this win should also be going to Joe Gibbs Racing as they lift the ban on their driver and allow them to compete in non-NASCAR races. Given that fellow dirt racer has now joined the JGR lineup with Ty Gibbs also attracted to non-NASCAR events, this move certainly makes sense. However, Christopher didn’t expect Coach to lift the ban,, and he was surprised to hear about this new but welcoming change.

What does the dirt racing schedule for Bell look like?

Although we’ve all heard about how good Kyle Larson is on the dirt, very few race fans know that Bell is a decorated dirt racer himself. He has won the 2013 USAC National Midget Series championship, the Turkey Night Grand Prix, and the historic Chili Bowl Nationals three times. Well, his talents were only restricted to asphalt and concrete at the NASCAR level for the past two years. But that has changed with the start of the new race season.

As far as his schedule goes, he is currently competing at the Tulsa Shootout in the Winged Outlaw and Non-Wing Outlaw classes until January 4. After this, he has confirmed his entry for the Chili Bowl Nationals, where he will partner with Keith Kunz Motorsports and the #71 team. Given his past heroics at the event, he will be among the favorites to win the title this time around. In the month of February he will make his return to the 410 Sprint Car with Kreitz Racing and the #69 team.

Moving on, he is scheduled to race at the World of Outlaw season opener at Volusia Speedway Park and then compete in High Limit Racing’s event on March 13th. Well, Christopher Bell’s next two months are packed, and Joe Gibbs will be praying that his star driver returns to his Cup duties without any injuries.