Christopher Bell knows what it’s like to go toe to toe with Kyle Busch. Every NASCAR driver does. Some learn the hard way, getting shoved out of the way, wrecked, or left questioning their choices. Others learn from a safe distance, studying his every move, waiting for their moment to strike. Bell? He’s done both. And at Circuit of The Americas (COTA), he made sure he wouldn’t have to learn another painful lesson.
Last year the JGR driver roughed up Rowdy at COTA, and let’s just say things got heated after the race. Bell finished the race runner-up, but Busch had to settle for a ninth-place finish. Words were exchanged and it was Busch who was the aggressor. Fast forward to 2025, both drivers were at the crossroads again, and this time Bell had to move with caution. Especially trying to topple a hungry driver who was trying to snap a 59-race winless streak.
The Art of Outsmarting ‘Rowdy’ Without Paying the Price
When Bell saw the No. 8 car ahead of him at COTA, flashbacks of previous encounters likely ran through his mind because nobody forgets a lesson from Rowdy. Whether it’s a bump, a squeeze, or an outright wreck, Busch has a way of making competitors regret their decisions. This time, Bell played it smart. He pressured, he waited, and when the moment came, he struck cleanly, precisely, and with fresh tires. Busch, holding on for dear life, could only watch as Bell slipped past. The two lap fresh tires and momentum came to his rescue as he didn’t have to put his bumper to use on the No. 8 Chevy.
When asked about not going all out against Busch even when he had the chance to do so, Bell replied, “I didn’t want to do that again. And I wasn’t going to put myself in jeopardy to make contact and ruin his race. But I don’t think it affected how I raced him or anything. I just was trying to put the pressure on him, and you know, his tires eventually gave up,“ Bell explained. “And he slipped getting into, I think it’s 15, and allowed me to get inside of him, and then the race was on from there.”.
If frustration had a face, it would have been Busch’s post-race. He led 42 laps, the most of anyone in the field. Rowdy had the lead with 17 laps to go and he could see the light at the end of the tunnel. But, just when things were starting to fall his way there came the infamous late race caution. Denny Hamlin making contact with Austin Dillon staged a late race restart. And from here on Busch was in defensive mode trying his best to fend off the late charge by Christopher Bell.
Christopher Bell said the incident last year at COTA with Kyle Busch didn’t impact his approach when trying to pass him for the lead Sunday at COTA. It was a clean race among the leaders to the finish, with Bell holding off William Byron for the win. @NASCARONFOX pic.twitter.com/MMeSLtUBz7
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) March 3, 2025
He held off Bell for as long as he could, using every trick in the book, even trading paint of the No. 20 Toyota. But in the end, the inevitable happened. Bell got by. “Hate it that the contact we made ruined our racecar too,” Busch said. “It bent the right-rear toe link and knocked everything out of it. I just didn’t have anything there at the end to compete with those guys.”
While this was yet another case of one that got away for Busch and the No. 8 RCR team, the win by Bell was a step towards redemption.
Bell’s Championship Vision: Can He Break the Cycle?
For Bell, this wasn’t just another win. This was a statement. We all know how the 2024 Martinsville race ended. Race manipulation tactics forced Bell to pull off Hail Melon, but NASCAR cancelled out his heroics. And just like that after two back-to-back championship 4 appearances, the Oklahoma native had to sit out the 2024 finale in Phoenix. Heading into the new year, he had all the motivation he needed to take NASCAR by storm and so far he’s delivered the goods.
Bell’s recent performances speak volumes. His Atlanta victory showcased resilience, winning despite not having the fastest car. At COTA, he executed patience, forcing Busch into a vulnerable position rather than taking unnecessary risks. He’s already bagged one superspeedway and a road course win reach and looks set to go all out in regular season races lined up next. “The last two weeks at Atlanta and here, I kind of won without the fastest car,” Bell admitted. “So it’s really nice to get those back that I lost last year.”
There’s a huge possibility that Christopher Bell can go for three wins in a row. In the modern era of NASCAR, there have been 28 instances where a driver won three or more races in a row. Going by the record books, Kyle Larson is the last driver to achieve this milestone back in 2021, it was his championship-winning year. But this record has remained out of reach ever since Next Gen cars have rolled out. Bell has the opportunity to do the threepeat and who knows this might set him up for his first-ever championship triumph by the end of the year.
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