The bell tolled two weeks in a row in the NASCAR Cup Series. Christopher Bell used two-lap fresher tries to pass Kyle Busch with six laps remaining, and he fended off challenges from William Byron and Tyler Reddick to win his second race in a row at Circuit of the Americas.
While it was ultimately settled on the track, crew chief Adam Stevens and the No. 20 pit crew deserve their fair share of the credit. Stevens chose the right time in the final pit cycle to bring Bell down pit road, and the crew performed a clean four-tire stop to put Bell in position to win at the end.
Here are the other pit road plotlines from the Lone Star State, including a mixed bag for Hendrick Motorsports.
No. 5 Crew’s Uncharacteristic Gaffe
With seventh-place efforts in both practice and qualifying, it looked as though Kyle Larson was gearing up for a good weekend at COTA.
However, that all changed on lap 43 when the No. 5 team took 32 seconds to fuel the car and change tires. Then, to add insult to injury, the right front wheel came off of Larson’s Chevrolet, resulting in a two-lap penalty.
So, how did it all go wrong for the No. 5 crew? Based on the in-car camera footage shown on Max, it looks as though there might have been significant miscommunication between driver and crew. Larson was told to wait, then go, and then to wait again due to concerns with the pit stop.
Replay of Kyle Larson's botched pit stop that led to him losing his right front wheel.
— Steven Taranto (@STaranto92) March 2, 2025
You can see one of his crewmembers waving him off telling him not to go. pic.twitter.com/NAeh0YLVbJ
The loose wheel and subsequent penalty put Larson hopelessly behind the eight ball for the second half of the race, relegating him to a 32nd-place finish. It was an unusual slip-up from a championship-caliber No. 5 team that is usually hitting on all cylinders.
Based on rules and prior precedent, front tire changer Blaine Anderson and jackman Brandon Johnson will be issued two-race suspensions when the penalty report comes out later this week.
Pit Road Police
Here is a summary of notable pit road penalties from Sunday:
- After being name pit crew of the race in last week’s column, the No. 71 Spire Motorsports team received a penalty for being over the wall too soon during their initial stop of the race on lap 16. They tried to make up for it by keeping driver Michael McDowell out during a later pit cycle, and it worked out well as settled for 11th place on the afternoon.
- The other pit penalty of the race came not from a crew but rather driver error. On lap 42, John Hunter Nemechek committed to pit road but then returned to the track in his No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota. As a result, Nemechek was hit with a commitment line violation penalty, finishing 22nd.
Pit Crew of the Race: No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
While the No. 5 crew wilted in the Texas sun, another Hendrick team rose to the occasion and battled adversity to earn this week’s pit crew of the race honors.
Chase Elliott experienced an inauspicious start to his race, getting hit by Ross Chastain in the first turn on the first lap.
Elliott rode out the rest of stage one with damage before crew chief Alan Gustafson and the No. 9 team sprung into action. During the post-stage one caution, Elliott came to the service to his crew to fix toe link damage on the No. 9 Chevrolet.
After finishing fifth in Stage 1, the No. 9 returns to pit road to repair the left-rear toe link. pic.twitter.com/ezpjBVCqL6
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 2, 2025
From there, Elliott and the team ran a clean race, culminating in Gustafson’s decision to pit under the final caution on lap 79 for four fresh Goodyear tires. Then, Elliott showed why he is considered one of the best road racers in the Cup Series, rallying all the way to a fourth-place finish.
What a drive it was for driver No. 9!
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 3, 2025
After an incident on the first lap, @chaseelliott rallies to a fourth-place finish. pic.twitter.com/UwF8AhHI7C
A day that started with disaster ended on a high note. Between Elliott’s driving, Gustafson’s strategy call, and the pit crew’s execution, it was a total team effort for the No. 9 Hendrick team.
Look Ahead to Next Week
The NASCAR Cup Series goes short-track racing for the first time in 2025 for the running of the Shriner’s Children 500 at Phoenix Raceway next Sunday, March 9. Green flag is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET, and FOX Sports 1 will carry the broadcast.
For the sixth season in a row, Phoenix will be the site of the Cup Series championship race in November. Race teams will be taking notes about what works and what doesn’t in hopes of having the best car possible when it matters most at the end of the season.
Andrew Stoddard joined Frontstretch in May of 2022 as an iRacing contributor. He is a graduate of Hampden-Sydney College, the University of Richmond, and VCU. He works as an athletic communications specialist at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Va.
Phoenix is NOT a “short track” which is UNDER one mile in length.
True, but it races like one, more than New Hampshire, Dover, and even Milwaukee do.
It is not like Martinsville or Bristol or Richmond.
I’ll agree its not a short track. Like Pocono…Its good that every thing doesn’t have to fit in a cookie cutter box. I wonder if a Brisol car can be used at Phonix.
Not when the teams used to have a concrete car for Bristol. Now the teams have to use essentially one car for all the tracks.
Thia is not the first time Larson has lost a wheel.