“It wasn’t my best performance”: Christopher Bell plays down talk of Chili Bowl finals being his best race

Christopher Bell said in an interview to FloRacing that the Chili Bowl prelims race was not his best performance but hailed it as an entertaining race.

Bell, the driver of the #20 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing, has been a dominant force for his team in the Cup Series but has shone in dirt racing as well. He has won the Chili Bowl Nationals on three occasions (2017, 2018, and 2019) and is gearing up to make a return to the so called "Super Bowl of Midget Racing" again this year.

After Monday's Race of Champions, he went on an interview with FloRacing's Tyler Burnett. Bell sealed a dominant victory after starting on pole. In the interview, he was asked if it was his best race, and he replied that he had performed better when he was at the back.

"The best races I've ever raced? Certainly entertaining, and it came down to the wire. That was really cool. For me, I was out front. I have performed better in races whenever I'm in the back and you have to charge up through there. I don't think that it was my best performance, but certainly it was an amazing race," Christopher Bell said.

"I just can't say it enough. Everybody that asks me about the Chili Bowl, I'm like, there's just magic in this building. Every year, something happens to top it. It happened again at the Tulsa shootout. You just never know, but it's always providing entertaining races. We've already seen a couple of great ones this week," he continued.

The 2025 Tulsa Expo Raceway race is playing host to quite a few NASCAR Cup Series drivers this week. Names like Kyle Larson, Ty Gibbs, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Kyle Busch will also be setting themselves up behind the wheel and will bring tough competition to Saturday's race.

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Christopher Bell opened up on his return to Chili Bowl after Joe Gibbs’ policy flip-flop

Christopher Bell expressed his excitement about returning to the Chili Bowl Nationals after Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) lifted its ban on drivers participating in non-NASCAR events during the offseason.

"I was really surprised, and frankly, I didn't see it coming, but, you know, I'm very appreciative of the freedom to be able to go do, you know, what I love to do and that's drive race cars. So, it is a double-edged sword, and I understand, you know, where Joe Gibbs Racing has been as a whole in the past," Christopher Bell said on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

He acknowledged the previous restrictions but appreciated the newfound freedom, believing that competing in these events could enhance his performance in the NASCAR Cup Series by reducing off-season rust.