Can you imagine a section of NASCAR fans turning against Hendrick Motorsports for winning multiple races and championships? Well, you can make a case for ardent supporters of rival camps, but it would be odd to see the whole community getting salty over HMS’ success. This is something dirt racing legend and team owner has to deal with every time Keith Kunz Motorsports rolls up at the Chili Bowl Nationals.

Keith Kunz has made a strong base for his team and often brings out a trailer full of race cars in the hopes of winning the Golden Driller. However, fans on social media criticized his team for having an undue advantage with the sheer number of entries and resources. Rather than going back and forth with the naysayers online, Keith Kunz let his driver Emerson Axsom do the talking on the racetrack. This win allowed Kunz to clap back at his critics and once again proved why his team has been so successful at Chili Bowl Nationals.

Keith Kunz and his team proving why they are the real deal

Last year KKM registered with 15 drivers to compete at the Chili Bowl Nationals. NASCAR stars like Kyle Larson and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. were part of that driver’s lineup. The team has won eight Chili Bowl titles, and three of those came with Christopher Bell. Although they have been largely successful, they are looking to end a five-year trophy drought. The last time they won the Golden Driller was with Christopher Bell in 2019. Going by the latest results, they just might be on the right path to claim the trophy this time around.

Emerson Axsom, who has been featured in the 16-driver lineup for KKM, bagged a dominating win in the qualifying rounds on Wednesday night. Axsom took the lead on Lap 4 and pretty much cruised his way to victory lane from there on. This was win number 37 for Keith Kunz Motorsports and was enough for the veteran team owner to puff out his chest against unnecessary hate on social media.

Reacting to this win and taking a dig at his critics, Kunz shared this message on X. “For all my haters out there, read this article and pay close attention to the number 37th, and then post your idiotic questions you idiots!!!!! That’s not what I really want to say but you get my point 👂👀👂.” Meanwhile, Axsom was pumped to have finally converted his good run into a win and explained how he managed to outpace his opponents.

“I’ve been trying a long time and took myself out of a lot of races here, but I knew our stuff was good enough if I just did my job. It worked out that we were able to run the top in for a couple of laps and then get the restart where I could get a shot because I knew Daison [Pursley] was going to be good on the bottom. Their stuff has a lot of grip anywhere he goes, so I worked on momentum to where when he did jump up, I could counter his move and throw a slider.” The driver said after the race.

Now, KKM team members do not need extra motivation to go out there and perform. But these online critics just might add more fuel to the fire. And watch out for Christopher Bell, as he is looking sharp and might be en route to clinch his fourth Chili Bowl National title.

Joe Gibbs Racing certainly made the wise call in allowing Bell to race on dirt

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Dirt racing is in Bell’s DNA; the Oklahoma native had been sizing up his opportunity to be back on dirt tracks. And he’s finally returned to his Chili Bowl Nationals after a long break, thanks to Joe Gibbs Racing. Bell was fresh from his triumph at the Tulsa Shootout where he beat Kyle Larson in a photo finish to the Golden Driller. The first thing he said in his post-race interview reminded everyone why he was here in the first place. “I’ve got four words. Thank you Joe Gibbs,” said the JGR driver. Needless to say, he was in his element at the SageNet Center, competing in the O’Reilly Invitational Race of Champions on Monday night.

Starting on the pole, Christopher Bell dominated the 25-lap feature and was class of the field. KKM certainly is in a better position to break their drought, and at the same time, Bell could well be on his way to adding the 4th Chili Bowl win to his name. “I freaking love this place, man. It is the greatest. And I’m just glad I get to be here with all you great race fans. This is so much fun, so much fun to come back and run these dirt cars.” Bell said after his win.

With momentum being with KKM and Bell firing on all cylinders, the rival camps certainly will have to bring their A-game to stop their dominant run. It will be interesting to see how the field lines up for the main event, and who knows, we might witness Larson vs. Bell again.