Post-Race Reactions: What NASCAR Drivers Said After Christopher Bell’s Victory at COTA

After Sunday’s Cup race at the Circuit of the Americas, here’s what the drivers had to say:

Christopher Bell — Winner: “These road courses are such a blast! I was cautious when Kyle (Busch) was in the lead, especially thinking back to last year. I wanted to pass him cleanly. He ran a great race, and I was trying to find my chance. When he made a small mistake, I was able to take the lead. The last few laps were intense, and I was just focused on not messing up. I’m thrilled for my DeWalt No. 20 team. We didn’t count last week’s race; this one was the goal. Now, I’m eager to keep building on this success.”

William Byron — Finished 2nd: “I was just waiting for Christopher and Kyle to slip up. Once Bell got by Busch, I thought I had my chance, but I just couldn’t get close enough. We made a lot of progress this weekend, and I’m proud of our efforts. Getting so close to a win is frustrating, but there are many races ahead to improve. It’s a solid start for our road course strategy.”

Tyler Reddick — Finished 3rd: “In the first stage, we were decent. However, we lost some pace later in the race and couldn’t keep up. The last restart hurt us as I lost some positions due to tire strategies. Overall, it was a solid recovery for our team. We always aim to win, but I’m happy with how it went.”

Chase Elliott — Finished 4th: “It was a wild day! I felt like I got pushed from behind right at the start, but my team did a great job fixing the car. We had to recover after some damage and made a strong push at the end. With a better starting position, I think we could have fought for the win.”

Kyle Busch — Finished 5th: “I felt good about my No. 8 Chevrolet, but I wish we had the same tires as Bell. His speed made a difference. After that last caution, it was all about defending my position. We had some contact that hurt our car. I just couldn’t compete in the end.”

Chris Buescher — Finished 7th: “Our team worked hard to get a P7 finish. It was a challenging day with shifting track positions. We didn’t have the pace we wanted to win at COTA, but I’m proud of how we fought through the race.”

Noah Gragson — Finished 8th: “We struggled at first, but I’m proud of how our team turned it around. We didn’t give up after a tough start, and it all came together. Ending up in the top 10 is a solid result.”

Todd Gilliland — Finished 10th: “We started and finished 10th, but it was a hard-fought day. I’m proud of how we battled through difficulties. We managed to bring home a top-10 finish.”

Michael McDowell — Finished 11th: “It was a mixed day for us. We had some speed early but faced setbacks with a pit road issue. We fought hard, and while we couldn’t break into the top 10, we’re getting closer to wins.”

Cole Custer — Finished 23rd: “The day had its challenges, but our team rebounded well. We had a fast car overall, though there were a few bumps along the way.”

Austin Dillon — Finished 35th: “We had a tough day after an early incident took us out of contention. My team worked hard to repair the car, but we couldn’t continue racing. We know we had a better car than our finish shows.”

Daniel Suarez — Finished 36th: “I made a small mistake and hit the curb, which caused me to spin. It wasn’t a major error, just a minor issue that ended our race.”

Connor Zilisch — Finished 37th: “I was excited to race with so many talented drivers. I had a great drive through the field in the second stage. Although my race ended early, I had an amazing time.”