AVONDALE, Ariz. — Christopher Bell made NASCAR history by winning three races in a row with the NextGen car. He edged out his teammate Denny Hamlin by just 0.049 seconds, marking one of the closest finishes at Phoenix Raceway ever.
Starting from 11th place, Bell’s journey to victory was impressive. He took the lead after a caution pit stop and held it through two crucial late restarts. This win makes him the first driver to achieve three consecutive victories since Kyle Larson did it in 2021.
This race was special because it was the first in Phoenix since Richmond last year to offer teams two sets of option tires. These red tires provide better grip but lose performance after about 35 laps, adding a layer of strategy to the race.
Several drivers, including Joey Logano and Ryan Preece, took an early risk by switching to red tires, and it initially paid off as they surged toward the front before fading. Bell, knowing he had fresh red tires at the end, used them to pull ahead of Hamlin after a restart with 17 laps remaining.
In the final moments, Hamlin pushed Bell hard, getting alongside him. The two bumped as they approached the last turns. In a thrilling finish, Bell managed to keep his lead, crossing the line first for his 12th career Cup Series win after leading for 105 laps.
Larson placed third, while Josh Berry and Chris Buescher rounded out the top five. On a different note, Katherine Legge, the first woman to race in the Cup Series since Danica Patrick, had a challenging day and finished 30th. She spun out twice during the race, including a late incident that affected Daniel Suarez.
Logano, who started near the front, faced setbacks after a mistake on an early restart. He had to serve a penalty for crossing the yellow line, which set him back. After some promising runs, he ended up 13th. Preece’s strategy of using red tires helped him climb from 33rd to third at one point, but he ultimately finished 15th after switching back to regular tires.
The NASCAR series will now shift focus to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the next race.
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