Dale Earnhardt’s former ally sends a crystal clear message on Christopher Bell’s Las Vegas ‘gray area’ drama

NASCAR driver Christopher Bell found himself at the center of controversy during the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Recently, former Dale Earnhardt Inc. crew chief Richard 'Slugger' Labbe, who once led the #15 team driven by Michael Waltrip, weighed in on Bell's double pit stop incident, sharing his perspective on the situation.

Bell was on track to claim his fourth consecutive victory in the 2025 Cup Series season, but a pre-race throttle body change forced the #20 team to start from the rear. Despite the setback, Bell climbed into the top 10 by the end of Stage 1. However, trouble struck during a pit stop in Stage 2 when his crew discovered a loose left wheel as he was exiting the pit box.

Reacting quickly, Bell was instructed to pit at the #19 Joe Gibbs Racing team’s box, making the most of a challenging situation. Recently, Labbe appeared on Dirty Mo Media where he shared his thoughts on the ordeal.

"The sport is so competitive and you're looking for every little advantage. So basically that move, understanding the rules, pretty much saved them a two-week vacation for their tire changer and the jack-man, right? [...] I think it's going to bring awareness to the garage like anything else but it is a gray area," he said.

"They might say now it might be a lap penalty or something like that. Kudos to Adam. It's scared the shit out of the #19 crew because they weren't pitting. They just did the wave around. They had their backs to it, right? So it definitely, it will bring awareness and then it just makes you think, what's the next thing that's going to happen?" he added

Christopher Bell, driver of the #20 Toyota Camry XSE for Joe Gibbs Racing, was in a position to secure his fourth consecutive Cup victory, but Wood Brothers Racing's Josh Berry played spoiler and won the Pennzoil 400 on Sunday. Despite his best effort, Bell finished the race in P12.

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Ryan Blaney calls out Christopher Bell for having 'no regard for anybody'

Team Penske's Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney did not hold back from pointing fingers at JGR's Christopher Bell after he went four-wide with Blaney, Bubba Wallace, and Noah Gragson. As Bell joined the three drivers, The #12 Penske Ford was left without space and bumped into Gragson causing a multi-car wreck.

Following the incident, Blaney was heard expressing his frustration with Bell's risky move (via Frontstretch's Dalton Hopkins on X):

"'The f*****g 320. He just shoves me through the middle. Apparently he doesn't have any regard for anybody. I don't know.' - Blaney #NASCAR #Pennzoil400"

After a disappointing day, Blaney finished the race in P35, his worst drive of the season.