Who… should you be talking about after the race?
All it took was the first last-lap pass in Phoenix Raceway history for Christopher Bell to score his third consecutive win. He edged teammate Denny Hamlin at the line by 0.049 seconds, and Kyle Larson, who was also involved in the three-way battle for the victory, wasn’t far behind in third.
THREE WINS IN A ROW FOR CHRISTOPHER BELL! What a finish. pic.twitter.com/4io4UIO91s
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) March 9, 2025
Bell was very clearly one of the strongest cars in the field once again, this time leading a race-high 105 of 312 laps. In a race that was slowed by 10 cautions, including the final one that set up a two-lap dash to the checkers, Bell finished inside the top 10 in both stages before making that last-lap pass for the win.
Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Homestead-Miami Speedway are the next two tracks up for the NASCAR Cup Series, and while Bell has just one win at the two combined (Homestead in 2023), both have been strong tracks for him in recent years. In fact, he’s finished inside the top five in three of the last four races at Las Vegas, including a pair of runner-up results in the fall races, when he led a combined 216 laps.
We’re not gonna win them all….but we’re damn sure gonna try! Love this team! Resers Dub!#teamtoyota pic.twitter.com/Cf7s5npbXY
— Christopher Bell (@CBellRacing) March 10, 2025
Meanwhile, Bell has three top 10s in five starts at Homestead, including a win in 2023 and a fourth-place finish last season. Bell and the No. 20 team have momentum on their side heading into a pair of mile-and-a-half tracks coming up over the next few weeks.
Even without a trip to victory lane, Bell is poised to continue to position himself strongly in the championship standings early in the year.
On the other hand…
Front row starters William Byron and Joey Logano, both of whom led more than 80 laps apiece, were the only two others drivers who had the lasting speed to compete with Bell.
Logano led a couple laps early, but he had to dig himself out of a hole after serving a pass-through penalty for driving below the yellow line on the restart following the second caution. Once Logano had the softer option tire, he made quick work of the field during stage two and held the top spot until his tires wore out, and Bell passed him for the stage two victory and ultimately an 13th-place finish.
Byron, on the other hand, started on the front row and led the field for 83 of the first 94 laps. The driver of the No. 24 finished both stages in the top five before ultimately fading late in stage three to a sixth-place result.
What… does this mean for the points standings?
Byron remains atop the standings by 13 points over Bell, who gained two positions with his third straight victory. Tyler Reddick remains third, followed by Ryan Blaney, who dropped two spots with a blown engine and a 28th-place finish. Chase Elliott rounds out the top five.
Byron and Bell remain as the only two drivers with wins four races into the season, and Bell holds the edge with 16 playoff points to Byron’s six. Blaney, Logano, Larson, Bubba Wallace, Josh Berry and Ryan Preece each have one playoff point apiece.
Runner-up Hamlin and fourth-place finisher Berry were the biggest winners this week, jumping 10 and 12 positions, respectively. Hamlin now sits seventh, and Berry is 21st.
Meanwhile, this week’s biggest losers were Michael McDowell and Wallace. McDowell suffered a tire failure and hit the wall, bending the toe link. While he was able to continue, McDowell finished 27th, 22 laps down. Wallace’s “brakes blew out” without warning, causing terminal damage and leaving him with a 29th-place finish. The pair sit 15th and 12th in the points, respectively.
When… was the moment of truth?
Goodyear brought a softer tire compound this weekend, giving the teams an option to run a different setup. While the softer compound brought more speed, it also meant the tire was more susceptible to wear in the long run, leaving drivers to manage how hard they raced early on.
“In practice it did feel like it lost grip more, which is normally a good thing,” race winner Bell said. “In the race, I didn’t get to do a long run on it. I think the 22 did. It seemed like he started struggling a little bit more than me on the yellow tires.”
For the most part, drivers talked in favor of the softer tire, however several expressed they didn’t see the need for two different compounds in a series where there are scheduled cautions.
“I’m not a fan of having two tire compounds in the same race,” Bell continued. “It worked out today where a couple of the best cars ended up racing for the win. A matter of luck becomes involved whenever you have a faster car and a slower tire.”
“I like the tire. I honestly feel like we should go to it everywhere,” Justin Haley said. “They make the cars drive a lot better. I don’t know if that’s what you want, but it will be interesting to see how it plays out.”
One of the chief complaints over the last several years is that the sport has become too technical and doesn’t leave enough control in the drivers’ hands. Anyone who’s watched the sport since the mid to late 90s or earlier remembers a time when tire wear played a role each week and drivers were forced to choose between top speed and longevity.
Where… did he come from?
Sophomore driver Zane Smith scored his first top 10 of the season after finishing 36th, 11th and 29th in the first three races to open the season. It was his best result since a fifth-place run at Watkins Glen International last September.
Returning to Front Row Motorsports this season, the 2022 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion showed strong speed in practice but didn’t have what he wanted for qualifying. After starting 26th, Smith worked his way through the field while avoiding becoming a part of the eight cautions for incidents on the day.
“It was a lot of fun today,” Smith said after the race. “I fought a couple of mistakes throughout the day, but it is really cool to get Aaron’s a good run in my debut with them. Top-10 finishes are always great. It is something to build on and a good track to be good at. I am just happy with the performance all weekend, honestly.”
Obviously, one race doesn’t make a season, but it’s the right kind of momentum shift for the No. 38 team heading into the next two races at mile-and-a-half tracks. The ninth-place result he posted at Phoenix moved Smith up to 26th in the points standings, though he sits just 25 points outside the top 16 four races into the year. This time around, he’s got Cup experience at every track on the schedule.
Why… should you be paying attention this week?
After Joe Gibbs Racing swept the weekend at Phoenix Raceway, winning the ARCA Menards, NASCAR Xfinity and Cup Series races, you can bet the team has a target on its back. And that should be especially evident in Cup where Bell has three straight wins and an already substantial advantage in playoff points.
Following a pair of superspeedway races, a road course and a short track, look for teams to place a heavy emphasis on the back-to-back mile-and-a-half track races that are coming up. While that particular track style isn’t as prevalent on the calendar even as recently as five years ago, it still does make up a decent portion of the schedule.
It should also bring a couple weeks of relative calm and a reset for those who have struggled to this point early in the season.
How… did this race stack up?
Statistically speaking, this race saw just 26 cars still running when the checkered flag flew, the fewest in any Cup race at Phoenix to date. But despite that, it had what the championship races are missing at the one-mile oval: excitement.
That’s not to say Phoenix doesn’t put on an excellent race; it does most of the time. However, too many drivers are afraid to be a part of the championship story in the final race of the season. The aggression level is typically dropped substantially when the series visits the track in the fall.
Combine that aggression with the tire choice and the speed and grip disparity that came with that, you had the recipe for a classic. Throw in a finish where three drivers fought in a two-lap shootout that left you wondering who would emerge victorious, and anyone would have been on their feet.
