Kyle Larson is competing at the annual Chili Bowl Nationals, and he recently said winning the Chili Bowl is a much bigger deal to him than winning the Daytona 500.
Those comments surprised a lot a of racing fans, and he even clarified on Twitter that winning at Daytona would be a major accomplishment for him.
But Larson loves dirt racing, and he's indicated in the past that he prefers dirt racing to NASCAR. So, his comments about the Chili Bowl didn't come as a surprise to those who know him well, and they weren't surprising to Truck Series champion Christopher Bell, either.
Bell made an appearance on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, and he was asked about Larson's comments. He said he knows where Larson is coming from since they both grew up dirt track racing.
ICYMI: @CBellRacing weighs in on Kyle Larson's comments about winning the @cbnationals vs winning the Daytona 500. pic.twitter.com/yGgmLAegEK
— SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Ch. 90) (@SiriusXMNASCAR) January 12, 2018
Related: Kyle Larson has clarified his shocking statement about the Daytona 500
"I had the same thing going on last year when I won the Chili Bowl," Bell said. "And I think you have to separate it between personal and career. So, for myself and Kyle personally, the Chili Bowl is what we grew up doing. It's what we dreamed of as a kid racing because that's what we grew up doing. We grew up dirt racing.
"So, that's our personal goals. For our career, obviously winning the Daytona 500 would be hands down a greater accomplishment."
Bell won the Chili Bowl Nationals in 2017, but like Larson, he doesn't have a win at Daytona. It's possible both drivers could change their minds once they win at Daytona, but it's obvious how important dirt track racing is to them.