After spinning Kyle Busch at COTA, Christopher Bell had to make a phone call to his former Joe Gibbs Racing teammate and smooth things over. The conversation was had, but things may not be completely repaired between the two NASCAR drivers.
Christopher Bell has had a strong start to the season. Last week though, he spun out both Kyle Larson and Kyle Busch at COTA. It was a real hindrance to their races as neither driver finished where their speed suggested they should finish.
Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports asked Bell about the incident and if he had a chance to speak with Rowdy.
“I mean, I don’t know, I made contact with him and he spun out so I understand why he’s upset,” Bell explained. “We had a conversation on Monday, and I thought it went well. I actually called him and he didn’t answer and I thought that was going to be the end of it, and he called me back. So, that was really cool that he had the respect for me to call me back, and he didn’t have to do that. It’s behind us and whatever happens moving forward, it is what it is.”
As far as that look in his eyes as Busch was yelling at him on pit road? That wasn’t anything serious either. Christopher Bell says that he didn’t feel well after the race and was trying to pay attention to what Busch was saying.
“There were a couple of things going on. So number one, I felt pretty ill after the race. It went green other than the stages and normally I can get a drink inside the car like a, I call it scratch, it’s like an additive to water that makes me feel a lot better. So, I didn’t get the scratch in there so I was feeling ill after the race.
“He came up to me, what am I going to say? I made contact with the dude, I hadn’t seen a replay so I didn’t know exactly what went down and I knew he had every right to be mad. But you know, I just didn’t want to say anything that was out of terms or without having more information of the event.”
Christopher Bell is a good race car driver. In fact, he may be a future champion of the sport. When moments like this happen, it’s a good reminder. There are a ton of young, talented drivers in the sport. However, there are still veterans ready to set the record straight when needed.
In his career, Bell has driven for Kyle Bucsh and been his teammate. So, good news for him. Perhaps if they did not have that prior relationship things would have been more severe than just a talking-to.
This week, Busch is hoping he stays straight on the track. Richmond is a track that has been good to him. It would be a great place to get his season back on track after a rough start. He just needs to avoid Christopher Bell, it seems.
More must-reads: