"There’s more respect" on Dirt than in Cup Series, feels Christopher Bell

If you ask Bubba Wallace Jr. about one thing he could change after his altercation with Kyle Larson in Sin City, it would probably be Christopher Bell's non-involvement in the whole scenario. South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway was a race that was dominated by one talking point, which was Wallace Jr.'s retaliation aimed at Larson in the second stage, which unfortunately caught Bell in the form of an innocent bystander.

Competing in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs this season, Christopher Bell has been a key player in team Toyota's driver arsenal to win the 2022 title. Wallace Jr., who also drives a Toyota, unknowingly became the driving force behind Bell's retirement after being hit by an out-of-control #5 Chevrolet. Despite Wallace Jr.'s apology to the #20 Toyota driver, Bell's contention to advance to the Championship 4 did take a blow that neither Bell nor his team Joe Gibbs Racing were anticipating.

Coming from a dirt racing background like several other drivers, Christopher Bell elaborated on how making the jump from a junior level, almost grassroots-feeling series to the highest echelon in stock car racing felt for the 27-year-old. In the aftermath of what happened last weekend, the Norman, Oklahoma native also touched upon how he the drivers' attitudes towards each other differed in the two series. In a recent interview with The Athletic, he said:

“I would say there’s more respect for the most part (on dirt), if you consider the road courses, what we have going on right now at the end of the (NASCAR) races doesn’t happen, in sprint car racing, anyway. Maybe it’s the danger of the cars, but the respect level seems to be greater on that side.”

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Christopher Bell thinks dirt racing as a community is friendlier than NASCAR Cup Series

Talking to further length on the comparison between the dirt racing scene in the US compared to the NASCAR Cup Series, Christopher Bell felt the former also had a friendlier atmosphere than the latter.

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver spoke about how he usually conducts himself in the Cup Series garage or before driver intros, and said:

“It definitely seems like the dirt community is a lot more of a tight group. In the NASCAR garage, nobody wants to be friends. For example: If I go to driver intros on Sunday and I don’t insert myself into a conversation, I’ll stand by myself. And that’s what I do most of the time. I’m standing by myself.”

Watch Christopher Bell compete this Sunday at Dixie Vodka 400 at Miami-Homestead Speedway.