Picture finishes, wild incidents, a number of tire choices and and a seemingly unstoppable Christopher Bell had been the highlights from the fourth spherical of the 2025 NASCAR season at Phoenix Raceway. Each the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Sequence races led to dramatic style, as did the ARCA race on Friday night time. Whereas the primary three races of the 12 months had been thought-about ‘wildcard’ occasions, Phoenix proved to be unpredictable as properly and the battle for the win got here all the way down to the final flip.
Now, let’s check out the most important winners and losers from an exciting weekend of racing at Phoenix.
WINNER: Bell handles the stress … once more
Christopher Bell truly did it, profitable three consecutive Cup races in a feat not but seen with the present period of race automotive (courting again to 2022). And whereas it is easy to name him a ‘winner’ for that truth alone, we’re taking a unique method. Not solely did Bell win these races, however he did it regardless of immense stress and nail-biting battles to the very finish. None of those victories had been a Sunday drive for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver.
First, he was shoved huge at Atlanta, battling from the skin in a three-wide scenario when the race-ending warning got here out. Bell had surged from fourth to first within the last restart to win that race. The next week at COTA, he battled arduous with two-time Cup champion Kyle Busch for a number of laps earlier than lastly finishing the move, solely to then must cope with a charging William Byron and Tyler Reddick. Lastly, there was Phoenix, the place he held off teammate Denny Hamlin and a lurking Kyle Larson to tug off a three-peat in a dramatic photograph end. Bell retains showcasing that when the stress is on, he’s greater than able to rise to the event.
Watch: Bell retains Hamlin at bay to win third Cup Sequence race in a row
LOSER: Early error denies Logano a real shot on the win
The reigning Cup Sequence champion and four-time Phoenix winner got here into this race with excessive hopes. As soon as once more, he had one of many vehicles to beat on Sunday, however a self-inflicted error put him on the again foot for almost all of the occasion. Very early on he dipped his left-side tires under the road a second too quickly on a restart, leading to a drive-through penalty that despatched him to the rear of the sector. His crew then used up one of many two units of possibility tires that they had obtainable with a purpose to regain some observe place, which put him at an actual drawback for the ultimate run. We solely bought glimpses of the No. 22’s true potential as Logano completed thirteenth after main 81 laps.
William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, Joey Logano, Staff Penske Ford
Picture by: Jonathan Bachman – Getty Photographs
WINNER: Goodyear brings the motion with a number of tire compounds
Using a number of tire compounds was an absolute and resounding success on Sunday. The added technique made for fixed motion all through the sector as drivers like Ryan Preece surged from thirty third to third in a single stage whereas others hoarded their tires for the tip. With passing proving to be troublesome on the Arizona oval, the tires had been an enormous plus in making certain there was all the time one thing occurring across the observe. Hopefully, we see much more of this from Goodyear and NASCAR sooner or later after Sunday’s race.
Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Picture by: Jonathan Bachman – Getty Photographs
LOSER: Briscoe take blame for restart pileup
Briscoe regained 100 precious factors earlier within the week when Joe Gibbs Racing received its attraction, however sadly, the great fortune did not comply with him into Phoenix. On Lap 99, Briscoe climbed over the right-front of Justin Haley’s automotive and triggered an enormous accident, eliminating seven vehicles from the race and damaging a number of others. Briscoe hit extraordinarily arduous as he and Carson Hocevar slammed the skin wall, blowing the right-side window out of the No. 19 automotive. Afterwards, he took accountability for it, saying “that is in regards to the largest you’ll be able to crash at Phoenix.”
Chase Briscoe, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Picture by: Chris Graythen – Getty Photographs
WINNER: Phoenix and its late-race restarts
It looks as if the important thing to dramatic finishes at Phoenix is to verify there’s all the time a two-lap sprint to the checkered flag. All three races this weekend (ARCA, Xfinity and Cup) led to such a approach, and every had two drivers door-to-door by way of the ultimate set of corners in a spectacular showdown for the race win. When you added the margin of victory from the Xfinity and Cup races collectively, it will nonetheless be lower than a single tenth. The truth is, Bell’s victory was truly the primary last-lap move for the win in the complete historical past of Cup racing at Phoenix Raceway. The one downside was the followers in Atlanta who did not get to really see one of many finishes…
Watch: Aric Almirola bests Alex Bowman with contact on the end line
LOSER: Austin Hill’s misjudges the entry
Austin Hill made a uncommon mistake this weekend, or as he stated: “That may be the dumbest transfer I’ve ever had occur to me in racing.” Hill, who’s already locked into the Xfinity playoffs courtesy of his win at Atlanta two weeks in the past, was working simply outdoors the top-five at Phoenix throughout a mid-race restart. Nevertheless, his automotive all of a sudden shot throughout the observe and picked up two others, destroying the No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. A replay confirmed that Hill had truly touched the within wall whereas coming into the nook, trying to be just a bit bit decrease than the automotive forward of him. The contact despatched him careening throughout the observe, wrecking himself, but additionally Sheldon Creed and Dean Thompson.
Watch: Austin Hill goes spinning after contact with inside wall on restart
WINNER: Ryan Sieg turns storage mishap into top-five run
The veteran driver/proprietor is used to having the chances stacked towards him, however this weekend was a singular problem for the Sieg and the No. 39 crew. His automotive suffered vital nostril injury again within the storage attributable to a lip on the entry of a storage stall, forcing his crew to scramble and pull out the backup automotive. Ranging from the rear of the sector, Sieg methodically marched his approach ahead, putting fourth in a wildly spectacular rebound from how the day began.
Ryan Sieg, RSS Racing Ford
Picture by: Jonathan Bachman – Getty Photographs
LOSER: Allgaier cannot catch a break at Phoenix
Within the Xfinity Sequence, Justin Allgaier is commonly the driving force to beat when the sequence involves Phoenix. Nevertheless, it additionally looks as if he has discovered each doable option to lose this race. Even when he received the 2024 Xfinity title at Phoenix, he confronted a number of setbacks and needed to give the win away on the ultimate lap with a purpose to protect his championship. Final spring at Phoenix, he blew a tire and crashed whereas main within the closing laps.
Whereas there are a number of different examples, the most recent got here this previous weekend. Allgaier led 130 of 208 laps in a fully dominant displaying, however alas, a late-race warning compelled the race into time beyond regulation. As soon as once more, it did not work out for Allgaier as he pushed huge in Flip 1 and fell again to fifth as the sector went four-wide for the race lead. He was completely dejected afterwards, and understandably so. Since his most up-to-date Phoenix win in 2019, Allgaier has led a complete of 396 laps on the observe with out incomes one other Phoenix victory.
Justin Allgaier, JR Motorsports Chevrolet
Picture by: Jonathan Bachman – Getty Photographs
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