“I have Jimmie Johnson in my phone.” Christopher Bell said these words recently with starry eyes. Indeed, the seven-time Cup Series champion’s text messages are something that Bell achieved over the past few weeks. The Joe Gibbs Racing star clinched three consecutive races in Atlanta, COTA, and Phoenix – and is heading strong to clinch a fourth. However, that thunderous streak slowly gets on his long-time adversary, Kyle Larson’s nerves.
The Hendrick Motorsports star has gone up against Christopher Bell several times. Their rivalry began in their dirt racing days and has reached a breathtaking point at NASCAR’s highest level. Despite harboring respect for his rival, the 2021 Cup Series champion is also getting restless.
Kyle Larson bites his nails as his rival catches up
Remember the 2021 Cup Series season? That was a glorious time to be a Hendrick Motorsports fan. The #5 Chevrolet team was back in action with Kyle Larson being freshly inducted into the team after a bitter setback in 2020 – and his fierce determination was visible. He clinched consecutive race wins twice that year. They were Charlotte, Sonoma, and Nashville races in the first stretch, and Charlotte Roval, Texas, and Kansas in the second. Larson overall won 10 races en route to the 2021 Cup title. The No. 5 Chevrolet driver was reminiscing about that happening season recently – but for the wrong reasons. As it turns out, Christopher Bell is catching up.
In a recent media availability ahead of the Pennzoil 400 race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Kyle Larson shared his opinion. Bell was the first three-peat winner since Larson in 2021, so the HMS driver could not help but draw a comparison. “Um I don’t know. I think I had a great season in 2021. I was able to win three points-paying races in a row twice that year. Four in a row once, if you throw in the All-Star Race in there. So I think having lived through it on my own, I can respect it a lot more. It doesn’t bother me when I see somebody else having success like that.”
I’ve been asking driver’s thoughts on @CBellRacing going for 4th win in a row this weekend.@RyanPreece_ told me he texted Bell after his 3rd that he should put his phone on auto text every Mon. congratulating him!
At @LVMotorSpeedway @KyleLarsonRacin addressed same from… pic.twitter.com/T0RRzEv2Px
— Claire B Lang (@ClaireBLang) March 15, 2025
In spite of the massive praise for his rival, Kyle Larson is actually worried. If Christopher Bell can continue his thunderous streak into this weekend, that will put him on par with a NASCAR legend – Jimmie Johnson was the last driver to win four back-to-back races in 2007. So Larson let slip his nail-biting emotions: “If he wins this weekend, maybe it will be ‘Alright, this is getting a little annoying.’ I think for me as a competitor and a fan, I think it’s really neat. Because the sport is so tough, especially the Next-Gen era. So I respect it more than anything currently. But if he keeps going on too long, it would get annoying.”
As Kyle Larson gets a little worried, Christopher Bell is also getting cautious. After all, a large portion of the NASCAR Cup Series garage is gearing up against him.
Bell has a large army against him
When you reach the top, you are bound to have enemies. That is the icky situation that Christopher Bell is currently facing. Besides Kyle Larson, a slew of Cup Series competitors are rolling up their sleeves to topple Bell from his position. Kyle Busch, whom Bell infuriated in last year’s COTA race, sent out a warning that such a promising start is bound to break. “You know, you don’t want to start hot…can kind of derail your summer.” Then Ryan Blaney, the 2023 Cup Series champion, also displayed his dedication to bring down the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. “You respect that level of performance by your competitors, but at the same time…We’ve got to get these guys off their high horse.”
This level of attention from his competitors is making Christopher Bell a tad bit nervous. However, the JGR star is no stranger to tight, neck-to-neck competition. In fact, his rivalry with Kyle Larson is how he is so adept at it. Bell has a better average finishing position at 13.0 compared to the 2021 champ’s 13.9. At the same time, Bell’s 11 wins in the Next Gen era still fall short of Larson’s 13. So the JGR star is working meticulously to muffle his competition.
So Christopher Bell is bracing himself for his rivals building their strategies all around him. “I’m just trying very hard to not get ahead of myself and understand that it’s a new week, it’s another race and everybody is going to be bringing their best stuff and trying to beat me. I’m optimistic about how we are going to perform, but I understand that it’s a tall task.”
Given the JGR star’s self-awareness, Kyle Larson may have more reason to be worried. Let us see how this rivalry pans out at the Pennzoil 400 race.
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