The NASCAR Cup Sequence season is 4 races outdated and Christopher Bell has already achieved one thing no Cup driver has performed in 5 seasons.
Bell gained his third straight race of 2025 when he beat his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin in a two-lap dash to the end. The 2-lap restart was arrange by a warning for Ty Gibbs, one other Joe Gibbs Racing automobile.
After crashing out within the Daytona 500, Bell gained at Atlanta and per week in the past on the Circuit of the Americas. Bell is the primary driver since Kevin Harvick to win three Cup races in a row. Harvick, like Bell, gained the second, third and fourth races of the season in 2018.
Bell was comfortably main when Gibbs hit the wall however Hamlin was capable of dangle with him on the restart. On the ultimate lap, Bell had the sting down the backstretch and pushed Hamlin out broad within the last two corners to get the victory.
Kyle Larson completed third and Josh Berry completed fourth forward of Chris Buescher in fifth.
Bell led a race-high 103 laps and was the clear driver to beat after he labored his strategy to the entrance as quickly because the race started.
Sunday’s race included a softer possibility tire for groups as NASCAR and Goodyear seemed for a tire compound to make use of at Phoenix in November for the championship race. Groups had two units of the quicker however much less sturdy possibility tire and and the pace distinction was clear when a driver can be on possibility tires towards different vehicles on the first tire round him.
Ryan Preece began on the choice tire and picked his manner via the sphere. However by beginning on that tire, Preece had only one set remaining for the remainder of the 312-lap race. Most groups used their possibility tires on the similar time and Bell and the remainder of the leaders completed the race on the first tire after a warning got here out with lower than 40 laps to go when a lot of the high 10 was on the choice tire.
It appears possible the choice tire would be the tire NASCAR makes use of for the title race. The tire didn’t have precipitous fall-off although it was nonetheless far much less sturdy than the first tire. It may add one other factor of tire technique for the 4 drivers racing for the title in eight months.
You’ll be able to wager closely that Bell will likely be one of many 4 drivers racing for the title.
Bell has been part of the ultimate 4 in three of the final 4 seasons and has established himself as the highest driver at Joe Gibbs Racing. Sure, even forward of Hamlin, essentially the most profitable driver in Cup Sequence historical past to not win a Cup title.
Bell doesn’t have a Cup title both. But. It appears like solely a matter of time, nonetheless. Sunday’s victory was his twelfth of his profession and he’s completed no decrease than fifth within the standings since he was twelfth in 2021.
A number of drivers had been taken out through the second stage when Justin Haley and Chase Briscoe made contact.
Briscoe, Haley, Shane van Gisbergen, Brad Keselowski and others had been taken out within the crash.
Longtime sports activities automobile and IndyCar racer Katherine Legge grew to become the primary lady to begin a Cup Sequence race since Danica Patrick at Phoenix. She was concerned in two cautions.
The primary got here simply laps into the race when Legge spun by herself off Flip 2 whereas operating final. The second was extra expensive, particularly for Daniel Suarez.
As Legge was getting lapped within the third stage, she washed up into Berry’s automobile and spun round after the 2 drivers made contact. Suarez had nowhere to go and drove straight into Legge’s automobile.
The race was Legge’s first NASCAR begin on an oval since she raced within the Xfinity Sequence at Richmond in 2018. She completed thirtieth. Suarez completed twenty third after he was operating within the high 10 earlier than the crash.
1. Christopher Bell
2. Denny Hamlin
3. Kyle Larson
4. Josh Berry
5. Chris Buescher
6. William Byron
7. Alex Bowman
8. Kyle Busch
9. Zane Smith
10. Chase Elliott
11. Ross Chastain
12. Austin Dillon
13. Joey Logano
14. John Hunter Nemechek
15. Ryan Preece
16. Ty Dillon
17. Todd Gilliland
18. Erik Jones
19. Austin Cindric
20. Tyler Reddick
21. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
22. AJ Allmendinger
23. Daniel Suarez
24. Cody Ware
25. Ty Gibbs
26. Noah Gragson
27. Michael McDowell
28. Ryan Blaney
28. Ryan Blaney
29. Bubba Wallace
30. Katherine Legge
31. Shane van Gisbergen
32. Cole Custer
33. Brad Keselowski
34. Justin Haley
35. Chase Briscoe
36. Carson Hocevar
37. Riley Herbst
