“There are times when you feel like you can’t do anything wrong.” Christopher Bell’s words post-race in Phoenix summed up his 2025 season so far. While people are poring over his iconic battle with Denny Hamlin at the Shriner’s Children 500, they cannot deny one fact. Bell broke several records with this win, which marked his third trophy in just four races this Cup Series season. It made even Kyle Larson’s jaws drop.
The Hendrick Motorsports driver became a force toward the closing laps, hounding both Bell and Hamlin. However, Christopher Bell’s speed and versatility were no match for the two. Bell achieved a feat that was only last done by Larson, so naturally, the Hendrick Motorsports driver gave Bell his flowers for an excellent start to the season.
Kyle Larson’s dewy-eyed reaction revealed
After all, greatness recognizes greatness. Both Christopher Bell and Kyle Larson engaged in dirt racing rivalries once, with three Chili Bowl National titles each, and now are iconic competitors in NASCAR. Bell earned his third race trophy in 15 days, making history as the first Next-Gen Cup driver to win three consecutive races. The last time somebody went on a three-peat frenzy was in 2021 when Kyle Larson did so en route to his championship. Bell was also the first racer to clinch three of the first four races since Kevin Harvick did it in 2018. Frankly, the No. 20 JGR team is creating wonders and leaving their rivals in the dust.
What is more? Christopher Bell executed his streak on three different race tracks. They were a superspeedway, a road course, and now an oval. With the Next-Gen car’s increased parity, it has become more difficult to win across tracks – but Bell proved that it is possible. So, Kyle Larson could not help but marvel at the No. 20 team. “It’s extremely tough to win two in a row, I feel like, in the Next Gen era, and for them to win three in a row is really impressive.” Then Larson dropped a 5-word verdict: “Their team is just strong.” He continued, “Their race cars are really fast. Bell is a phenomenal racecar driver, obviously.”
Kyle Larson was the last driver to win three consecutive Cup races. What he sees in Christopher Bell’s three-race winless streak. @NASCARONFOX pic.twitter.com/QBfzfRbTIT
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) March 10, 2025
Kyle Larson has a clear goal now – to break Christopher Bell‘s streak. That is because the upcoming racetracks are right up Bell’s alley. At Las Vegas, he owns three top-fives – two of which are runner-up spots. Bell clinched a victory in Homestead in October 2023. So Larson is apprehensive about Bell’s relentless runs: “The more wins you get, the more confidence you, as well as your team, gets. He’s getting to go to Vegas, another track where he’s stupid fast, and then Homestead maybe after that? I don’t know where we go after Homestead, but I’m sure he’ll be fast there as well. It’s good to get on a streak this early in the year… It just sets your season up in a good spot.”
Well, let’s take a closer look at Larson’s ‘stupid fast’ claims. Across the last four races in Las Vegas, Bell has been a dominant force, despite failing to pick up a win. He led 155 laps in the October race last year and finished 2nd and led 61 laps in the October 2023 for another P2 finish. However, Bell struggled in Vegas during the spring race in 2024, finishing 33rd despite starting 10th. Across his five races at Homestead Miami, Bell has notched up a top-20 finish on each occasion, with three of them being top-10 finishes and the aforementioned win. It’s no surprise that Larson is wary of his prowess, especially considering how fast the #20 is looking to start the season.
Keeping Larson aside, even Christopher Bell’s teammate is slightly intimidated. However, the veteran driver was able to laud Bell’s thunderous streak.
Taking note of the team’s progress
“There is nobody I hate seeing win more than my teammate.” Denny Hamlin uttered these words soon after Christopher Bell’s victory at Circuit of the Americas. So the No. 11 Toyota JGR driver must be nursing his wounds after Bell accomplished the feat again in just a week. To add to his misery, Hamlin had a dramatic face-off with his teammate. During the two-lap, green flag run to the finish in Phoenix, the two racers battled in close quarters.
Both JGR cars drifted up the track in the final corner. But the inside groove’s advantage ultimately favored Bell at the stripe. Bell finished 0.049 seconds ahead of Hamlin – and Kyle Larson finished 0.048 seconds behind the latter. Notably, Bell’s win was also the closest finish in Phoenix Raceway history!
Despite his late-race heartbreak, Denny Hamlin lauded the No. 20 team and Christopher Bell for their three-peat streak. “Obviously, you see a gain in performance there, but you don’t know [why]. It could be a lot of different things. Is it our cars better? Is it circumstances in a speedway race or road-course race or like this one? I guess he probably dominated…I don’t know. Circumstance or not, three in a row is pretty impressive and whatever they’re doing is just working.”
However, Hamlin also could not help but lament about losing to his teammate. “It’s so hard, especially (racing) a teammate. because I mean, we could come out of here looking like fools if we don’t win, one of the two of us, especially controlling the race on the last restart on the last lap. So it’s really, really hard. But, you know, it’s the first time I think I’ve raced Bell for a race win in that kind of scenario. So I just wish I was on the inside, not on the outside.”
Clearly, Christopher Bell left a lot of his competitors, including his own teammate, with sore hearts. While hailing his phenomenal achievement, Kyle Larson is rolling up his sleeves. Let us see what the HMS driver does to beat Bell. What do you think? Will Bell prevail again, or will Larson get the better of him in Vegas? Let us know in the comments!
The post Kyle Larson Confirms Stance on “Stupid Fast” Christopher Bell’s Historic Feat in Phoenix With 5-Word Claim appeared first on EssentiallySports.