Christopher Bell is back in his element, hunting for trophies and wins on the dirt tracks. After a triumphant return on the dirt at the Tulsa Shootout, the JGR driver has added another iconic trophy to this name. And yet again he got better off his bitter rival Kyle Larson. The event in discussion here is the first points-paying race of World of Outlaw at the Volusia Speedway Park.

Bell’s road to claiming the little Gator trophy was anything but easy. Piloting Donnie Kreitz’s No.69K, he got better off Emerson Axsom, but as fate would have it, a late-race restart saw Larson and Bell recreate the scenes from Tulsa Shootout. Although the Daytona 500 is just around the corner, the JGR driver seems to be enjoying the free pass given by his team owner Joe Gibbs.

Christopher Bell finally getting his shares of wins in the WoO

Having won the Little Gator trophy, Bell had a chat with Matt Weaver reflecting on his first WoO win since 2019. Ever since his first appearance in 2014, Bell had his eyes on the cool-looking trophy, so he was feeling ecstatic about his win. “I’ve been wanting one of these things for so long. Like, I remember, the first time I came here was 2014, and I thought this is, like, one of the coolest trophies. So, we got this one.”

A late spin by Emerson Axsom on lap 22 set up the final shootout between Christopher Bell and Kyle Larson and this battle lived up to its billing. A side-by-side action with the two stalwarts of dirt racing came down to the final stretch, and in a photo finish, it was Bell who got the better of his NASCAR rival, again. In the end, all that separated the two drivers was a margin of 0.05 seconds.

This win didn’t come easy as Bell had his fair share of struggles throughout the week. “I’m bummed that, we had the DNF or the flat tire yesterday, and that, that obviously put a big hole in it, but we’ll see where we stack up. I just got to keep dotting our eyes, tossing our keys, and, you know, the, the early part of the it’s been going really, really good. And that’s ultimately where it’s at. You’ve got to put yourself in position, and we’ve done that the last few years.”

Well, had it not been for Joe Gibbs’ intervention, the race fans might not be able to witness the Larson vs. Bell clash on the dirt track. With the arrival of fellow dirt racer Chase Briscoe in the lineup and Ty Gibbs trying inclining towards dirt racing, Coach had to lift the ban. The veteran team owner announced that all JGR drivers would be allowed to compete in non-NASCAR racing events.

“I’m so thankful that my boss Joe Gibbs and everybody at Joe Gibbs Racing has allowed me to come out here and do this. It’s so much fun. Winning Outlaw races is my pride and joy. I don’t have many of them to my name, and I’m just so thankful to be in the 69K and get to add another one. It truly is a dream come true to be racing out here.” The driver of the #20 JGR car added.

Meanwhile, his on-track rival, Kyle Larson just wasn’t able to convert on his strong run and accepted that Bell was able to outsmart him on the final restart.

Larson ran out of tricks against Bell

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The HMS star didn’t have to face the challenge of Christopher Bell during his dominant win at the Chili Bowl Nationals earlier this year. In fact, he drew level with his fellow rival, racking up his third Golden Driller trophy. However, things were different this time around as it was Bell who had the command of the race from at get-go at the Volusia Speedway Park starting from the pole position.

Fans did get their money’s worth after the late race restart saw the two drivers trade paint and contest for the lead. But despite Larson’s valiant effort, he just couldn’t edge past Bell on the last lap shootout. “I thought I did a pretty good job on the last restart of staying with him on the frontstretch and thought I was going to be able to build enough of a run. It was difficult, but I thought I could get enough grip and speed to center of turns 3 and 4 that maybe I could get lucky enough to catch some traction as I diamonded and get a little bit of a run to get by him into turn 1. I just came up a little bit short.” Larson explained.

Hopefully, with the JGR ban out of the way, fans might be able to see more of this Larson vs. Bell rivalry on the dirt tracks. If anything this rivalry is only going to shape up the NASCAR battle as well, and that would be quite a spectacle.