Christopher Bell secured a dramatic victory at Phoenix Raceway, narrowly defeating his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin. The .049-second margin marked the second-closest finish in the track’s history and earned Bell his third consecutive NASCAR Cup Series win this season, setting a record in the Next Generation Car era.
Bell’s No. 20 Toyota made a high-side move alongside Hamlin’s No. 11 Toyota in the final corners of a two-lap shootout. The 30-year-old Oklahoma native claimed his second straight victory in the Phoenix spring race, leading 103 of the 312 laps.
“How about that one, race fans? Oh my gosh!” Bell exclaimed after crossing the finish line. “It was all about who could get clear on the restart. Neither of us could. We were racing really hard to the line. JGR ran 1-2 — how about that?”
Hamlin, who led the white-flag lap, was unable to hold off Bell’s charge. Despite the disappointment, his runner-up finish marked his best result of the season and JGR’s first 1-2 finish of 2025.
“Great job by the Sport Clips team. The car got better as the race went on,” Hamlin said. “I really wanted it to stay green. We got a good restart, but I knew Bell was going to send it if he had the chance. We just ran out of racetrack, but what a great finish.”
Team owner Joe Gibbs admitted that while he was thrilled with the outcome, watching his drivers battle for the win was nerve-wracking. “It can be a tense Monday meeting if it doesn’t work out,” he joked.
Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports secured third place, followed by Josh Berry (Wood Brothers Racing) and Chris Buescher (RFK Racing). The race also featured a strategic element, with teams managing two types of tires—option (red) and primary (yellow).
Goodyear’s NASCAR project manager Mark Keto praised the impact of the option tires. “It gave teams a chance to vary their strategies and maximize track position over those on primary tires.”
Ryan Preece of RFK Racing capitalized on the red tires, advancing more than 25 positions and leading 34 laps. Winning crew chief Adam Stevens emphasized the value of the new tire strategy and hoped NASCAR would continue using it.
William Byron and Alex Bowman finished sixth and seventh, respectively, for Hendrick Motorsports. Kyle Busch (eighth) and Chase Elliott (10th) both secured top-10 finishes, with Busch earning his third straight top-10 result. Katherine Legge (30th) made her NASCAR Cup Series debut, becoming the first woman in the field since Danica Patrick in 2018.
Phoenix is not known for major accidents, but an early crash eliminated multiple cars. Spire Motorsports teammates Justin Haley and Carson Hocevar, along with JGR’s Chase Briscoe, triggered a wreck that removed five other drivers from contention.
Despite his early exit, Haley praised the option tires. “They just make you feel like Superman. I honestly feel like we should use them everywhere.”
Bell now heads to Las Vegas Motor Speedway, aiming to match a milestone set by NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott—winning four of a season’s first five races, a feat last accomplished in 1992.
Byron currently leads the championship standings by 13 points over Bell as the NASCAR Cup Series moves to the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
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