“I’ve got four words. Thank you Joe Gibbs.”
And with that, Christopher Bell is back in dirt racing, having outdueled Kyle Larson in a photo finish to close out the Non-Wing Outlaw Main Event of the Tulsa Shootout on Saturday night. The Shootout is the preliminary event to the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals, also held in the Tulsa Expo, but featuring Outlaw Karts and Micro Sprints.
The finish above will rightfully get the headlines but it was the conclusion to an overall race of the year contender a week into the calendar to close out the arguable best week of racing in the history of this event.
There was a lengthy battle between pole sitter Blake Hahn and Christopher Bell, with the latter taking the lead on Lap 35. Steven Snyder drove from the rear of the field by Lap 45. Snyder cut a tire and got into the wall and Bell retook the lead before a caution when the former leader stalled. That then allowed Larson to close up to Bell and deliver the finish that had the Expo buzzing.
Bell hasn’t been allowed to race dirt cars for two years until Joe Gibbs Racing reversed that decision in November . Larson, for his part, hasn’t raced in Tulsa Shootout in 15 years, only coming back this year so he could race alongside his son Owen, who made his debut in a junior division earlier in the night, a race won by Brexton Busch , the son of Kyle Busch. Larson also won twice on Saturday .