Chili Bowl 2025: 3-time champ Christopher Bell happy to be back in Tulsa for races

After a two-year hiatus, Christopher Bell is back in Tulsa for the Chili Bowl. The former 3-time Chili Bowl champ and Norman, OK native, is happy to be back on the dirt track.

Bell also drives for Joe Gibbs Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series in the No. 20 Toyota where he has 9 career wins.

Back in 2022 Gibbs limited any of his drivers ability to dirt race outside of the Cup Series, prompting many like Bell and teammate Chase Briscoe to miss racing in the sport they grew up in.

The Oklahoma native cut his teeth at tracks like the I-44 Riverside Speedway in OKC before eventually graduating to competing in the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series.

Bell has long considered dirt racing his first love and his success on the small tracks in ultimately what propelled him to an opportunity in NASCAR.

Joe Gibbs Racing recently allowed Bell and others members of the organization the opportunity to race again outside of the NASCAR Cup Series.

Christopher Bell being allowed to race again

It's very refreshing to know that if I want to do it, I can do it and it's in my my own hands now. It caught me by surprise whenever I I got that phone call that said that I'm gonna be able to go race, you know, I think it's a huge credit to, you know, Joe for just realizing what what's out there, right? And yeah, so it, it's uh, it's very, it's very exciting to know that my schedule can be in my own hands and I can do what I wanna do.

Christopher Bell on how the Chili Bowl is special

Yeah, I mean, it's huge and and the chili bowl has been a special race for me because this was the grand daddy of them all for me growing up in Norman, Oklahoma, like this was this was it. I remember coming here as a kid and walking up to Tony Stewart, JJ Yaley, to Casey Kane, asking for autographs. So this was my race, like, Daytona I didn't really know much about, I didn't really know much about Indy (Indianapolis 500) , it was the Chili Bowl. So you know, there's there's a lot of dirt races out there, but this is kind of the one dirt race that gets the attention across of all motorsports, like you can be anywhere in the country, anywhere in the world for that matter, and and the Chili Bowl is the dirt race you get brought up. So yeah, you guys have a home run in your backyard and I'm just a lucky competitor that gets to be a part of it and I hope to see this thing, you know, continue to to boom. It's climbed greater heights and I think any of us ever expected it to be and I think that, it can continue to to grow into more and more and more and more.



Bell returned to form on Monday, winning the 2025 Race of Champions after starting on the pole. He will attempt to qualify for the championship feature when he returns on Thursday night.

“I freaking love this place, man. It is the greatest,” Bell said. “I’m just glad I get to be here with all you great race fans. This is just so much fun, so much fun to come back and run these dirt cars.”