The recent revelations about the culture at Joe Gibbs Racing and their view on races outside of NASCAR have brought a lot of flack to the team. But Kyle Larson could become one of the biggest catalysts in the movement defending Christopher Bell, as he accuses Gibbs of limiting him from being a better driver.
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Bell openly came out and said that Joe Gibbs has a “hatred” for running races outside of NASCAR. Obviously, that brought a lot of questions about Gibbs himself as an owner. Moreover, it also caused fans to question if other drivers also face similar consequences, being with one of the bigger owners in the sport.
Of course, that question came up in an interview with Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott. Luckily though, the 2021 Cup Series Champ clarified that “I personally have not heard of a limit on myself, at Hendrick Motorsports. That’s something I’m very grateful for.”
Hendrick Motorsports was no different from Joe Gibbs Racing at one point
Hendrick Motorsports has been NASCAR’s top team for far too long now. And their journey to get there involved a lot of effort and possibly sacrifice.
Things weren’t always the same as he confessed that he lived a similar life that Joe Gibbs Racing drivers did, “Because I have lived those days. You know, when I first started, I couldn’t even race a dirt race. I’m glad now I don’t have a limit. Four or five years ago, Hendrick was kind of opposite. You know, we’re seeing, like, Gibbs guys go race stuff and Hendrick guys couldn’t.”
Larson further added by talking about how things changed in the sport, “The culture, I guess, kind of changed a little bit, and you were able to race. And I think Hendrick also realized that we have a lot less track time in NASCAR now. We don’t get to test as much as the guys did back in the day. ”
Kyle Larson blames Joe Gibbs for keeping Christopher Bell from becoming a better race car driver
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The situation got so bad after what Bell said that he was forced to come out and apologize for what he said about the team. And of course, the fans didn’t like that, accusing the team of being the ones forcing him to apologize. Larson also pointed out how the narrative is going to negatively impact Bell, “It’s a bummer that Christopher is not allowed to run, because I know it’s obviously a huge passion of his.”
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But then the 2021 Cup Series Champ dropped the bomb when he implied that keeping Bell from running races would limit him from being a better driver. He said, “And I believe it makes me a better race car driver. The more often I can race. So I know the same would be for him. And I know there’s also risks that go along with it. I think those risks, or the reward outweighs the risk.”
His fellow cup series champion teammate, Chase Elliott, also said, “Yeah, I agree”
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WATCH THIS STORY: Chase Elliott Reveals the Truth Behind Controversial Hendrick Motorsports Clause, Days After Kyle Larson’s Own Revelation
It’s a bold statement, but these two could actually be right. Do you think it will cause Joe Gibbs to be more lenient with their drivers? Maybe even apologize?