Christopher Bell scores Golden Driller at Tulsa Shootout in photo finish with Kyle Larson

Christopher Bell wasted no time in his return to dirt, putting on a thriller Saturday night at the Tulsa Expo Square to beat Kyle Larson in a photo finish to win the non-wing outlaw feature in the 40th annual Tulsa Shootout.

The pair of NASCAR Cup Series stars returned to their roots on the Oklahoma 0.2-mile dirt track, fighting for another chance of glory inside the famed exhibition center. Both Bell and Larson are past winners of the Chili Bowl held at the same facility driving dirt midget cars, but the Tulsa Shootout features an array of micro sprint cars with winged and non-winged divisions.

The 55-lap feature came down to a nail-biting finish between the veteran racers. Though Bell established the lead in the closing laps, Larson stormed to second in the final handful of circuits. On the final lap, Larson used the outer cushion to his advantage in Turns 1 and 2 and rocketed to Bell’s rear bumper down the backstretch. Bell sent his car high into Turn 3 with Larson around the bottom, but Bell maintained the advantage with an enormous run off Turn 4 to score the Golden Driller trophy.

MORE: Bell through the years | Larson through the years

Bell, a three-time Chili Bowl winner, drives for Joe Gibbs Racing in the Cup Series. The JGR organization previously prohibited its drivers from competing in extracurricular dirt races for a number of years. However, the team reversed its policy in November 2024, allowing Bell to return to his old stomping grounds. Bell made good use of his newfound opportunity.

“I’ve got four words: Thank you, Joe Gibbs!” Bell said in his post-race interview.

A native of Tulsa, Oklahoma, Bell’s heart has always had a home in dirt racing. To battle and beat the best all over again in Larson only added significance to his triumphant return.

“Oh my gosh, man. I live for moments like that,” Bell said. “Driving these race cars, especially here at Tulsa, there’s nothing else like it.”

Though Larson lost to Bell in this head-to-head, he didn’t go home empty handed. Larson scored two Golden Drillers on Saturday, winning the outlaw winged feature in addition to the winged micro sprint A-main.

Bell and Larson are set to reconvene when the Chili Bowl fires up from Tulsa on Jan. 8, with feature races scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 18 with live coverage on FloRacing.

In their NASCAR day jobs, the elite drivers fight for wins on a weekly basis. Larson scored the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series championship in an astounding 10-win campaign and has collected a total of 29 career victories, leading the Cup Series with six triumphs in 2024. Bell has qualified for the Championship 4 in two of the last three seasons, winning multiple races in each of those campaigns with a career total of nine Cup wins, 19 Xfinity Series wins and seven victories in the Craftsman Truck Series.

The 2025 NASCAR campaign kicks off with the exhibition Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium on Sunday, Feb. 2 on FOX.