AVONDALE, Ariz. — Christopher Bell defined his relationship with Kyle Larson in no uncertain terms.
“We’re not friends,” Bell said of his racing rival.
That’s not surprising, given that Bell and Larson have been competing for the same trophies during parallel careers for well over a decade.
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Initially, they battled each other on dirt in such events as the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals, where Bell and Larson have triumphed three times each. In 2020, Larson ended Bell’s quest for a record-tying fourth straight Chili Bowl title with the first of his three victories.
Now, Bell is chasing Larson in a quest for NASCAR’s biggest prize, the Bill France Cup that goes to the Cup Series champion, and while there may be mutual respect and admiration between the drivers, there is no friendship.
“I think Kyle and I have raced each other hard basically our entire career, and I think it’s fair to say that we’re different people, and we hang out with different people and I think were not friends,” said Bell, who trails Larson by 51 points with three races left in The Chase presented by Mobil 1.
“But we are acquaintances and will race each other hard.”
In a departure from solo driver interviews on the media center dais, the top three drivers in the Chase standings appeared together on Saturday at Phoenix Raceway.
The trio included Denny Hamlin, who is 49 points behind Larson entering Sunday’s Freeway Insurance 500 at the one-mile track (3 p.m. ET, USA Network, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Larson agreed with Bell’s assessment but was quick to point out that their long-term rivalry has made him a better driver.
“I think I’ve said it in other press conferences; nobody’s pushed me more than Christopher to become a better racer, so I appreciate that,” Larson said. “I think in all forms of sports, there’s always athletes that push athletes, and he’s been the guy to push me to be better because he’s beaten me so much throughout my career.
“I appreciate the competitive rivalry, for sure. Like he said, we’re different people and hang out with different crowds. We’re just different. You’re always going to have that.”
Hamlin acknowledged that it would be hard to maintain close friendships at the elite level of stock car racing.
“Close friends is difficult,” Hamlin said. “It’s easy when one is good and one is not. It’s tougher when they’re both good, because you’re going to race each other a lot, and there’s always going to be contact at times, and feelings get hurt.
“I think it’s difficult to have really close friendships, but I think that there is an ability to separate on-track from off-track and still get along with someone really well off the race track.”
Chase Briscoe, who preceded the top three Chase drivers in the media center, offered a possible question as a way to create banter between Bell, Larson and Hamlin.
“Ask who would be the strongest without power steering, who could handle it best?” suggested Briscoe, referring to post-race sparring between Bell and Larson after Bell lost power steering in The Chase race at Las Vegas.
Larson was quick to express doubt as to whether Bell had zero power assist in his car.
“Zero percent power assist on an intermediate (speedway)? No way,” Larson proclaimed on the “Stacking Pennies” podcast.
In a subsequent media availability, Bell retorted, “I hope it happens to him, so he can talk about it.”
When Briscoe’s question was relayed to the three drivers on Saturday, Bell responded first.
“Not me,” he said.
“Definitely not me,” added Larson.
“You have your answer,” said Hamlin.
That moment provided a good laugh, but underlying the levity is the very serious race for the Cup title. Larson has produced an unprecedented Chase record so far, finishing no worse than sixth and winning twice in the first six postseason races.
The size of Larson’s lead has only increased the urgency of those behind him.
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“I think that you have to start by winning the day and then go from there,” Hamlin said. “But ultimately, with the races winding down, we’ve got to start chopping into this.”
Bell agreed.
“So, certainly myself and Denny are both 50 back right now,” Bell said. “We need to close that gap. But looking at the rest of the races, we are all going to be running up front and scoring stage points and competing for wins, so the difference maker is who gets those wins.
“And then Talladega (Oct. 25). Whatever happens at Talladega, the likelihood of a crash at Talladega is a lot higher at that track than other tracks. It can hinder your points that you take away. Between Talladega and race wins, that’s going to be the deciding factor.”
