“Joe Gibbs Racing has been really good about it”: Christopher Bell spills the beans on his in High Limit Racing absence

Christopher Bell explained why he withdrew from competing in High Limit Racing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Saturday. According to NASCAR Insider Jeff Gluck, Bell and the No. 20 team opted out to prevent possible injuries heading into the Pennzoil 400.

Bell, driver of the No. 20 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing, enters the Pennzoil 400 at LVMS with a three-race win streak. He won at Atlanta, Circuit of the Americas, and Phoenix, making him the first to win three straight races in the Next-Gen car era.

Gluck took to X (formerly Twitter) to share Christopher Bell's statement on the decision to skip the High Limit Racing race.

"Full answer from Bell on why he's not doing High Limit tonight: 'Joe Gibbs Racing has been really good about it. The management group would allow me to run, and Ty is going to run on Saturday night, but our individual team – the 20 team – Adam (Stevens) [No. 20 crew chief] and I sat down and we both have come up with a mutual decision to not run on Saturdays.'"

"Some of it is we are on the West Coast and if I were to bang my head up a little bit or crashed, it would be harder to get a driver here to fill that void. I don’t know if it would be different once we get to the East Coast, but as of right now, we are going to stay away from Saturdays. The Gibbs management group, that’s not on them. They are allowing me to pick and choose my races wisely; that is strictly between myself and Adam.”

High Limit Racing is a 410 winged sprint car series co-owned by fellow NASCAR driver Kyle Larson and Brad Sweet. While Christopher Bell sat out, Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Ty Gibbs entered the half-mile dirt oval race in Sin City.

On Sunday, Christopher Bell will drive the No. 20 Toyota in the Pennzoil 400 hoping to extend his streak to a historic four. The Las Vegas spring race will kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET on FS1 for the TV coverage, with Bell starting at the rear due to a changed throttle body.

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"It's a dream come true": Christopher Bell on possibly tying NASCAR legend's four-race win streak

In an interview at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Christopher Bell shared his thoughts on potentially matching the four-race win streak of NASCAR legends like Jimmie Johnson this Sunday. The Oklahoma native said it's a "dream come true" to be in the same category early in his career.

Only eight drivers in the modern era (1972 to present) have accomplished the feat, including Jimmie Johnson in 2007. He won four straight races at Martinsville, Atlanta, Texas, and Phoenix, and later secured his second championship title.

"It is something I take a lot of pride in," Bell said. "You look at stuff like that, and I’m still pretty young in my career. I’m just trying to soak it all in and enjoy the moment." [6:03]

He added:

"It’s a dream come true to be compared to or be in the same category with guys that I’m having a chance to tie their stats or going with their stats."

As of this writing, Bell ranks second behind William Byron in the standings. He has won three races and led for 114 laps (second most behind Joey Logano's 207 laps led).