Christopher Bell won his third consecutive NASCAR Cup Series race in Phoenix, finishing 0.049 seconds ahead of his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin. This victory makes Bell the first driver in the NextGen car era to win three straight races. Bell said to Sportsnet, “It worked out about as opposite as I could have drawn it up in my head, But the races that are contested like that, looking back, are the ones that mean the most to you,” according to Sportsnet.
Bell's victory in Phoenix followed his wins at Atlanta and Circuit of the Americas in the previous weeks. Starting 11th, Bell quickly moved to the front and led for 105 laps. His strategy, including saving a set of red option tires for the final stretch, allowed him to pull ahead of Hamlin after a restart with 17 laps to go. However, another caution raised concerns for Bell's team. Joe Gibbs, the team owner, said to Sportsnet, saying, "I was ready to upchuck."
Bell won the race, but other drivers also had notable moments. Katherine Legge, the first woman to compete in the Cup Series since Danica Patrick, spun early and later collided with Daniel Suarez, finishing 30th. Joey Logano had a restart violation and finished 13th, as reported by 12News. Ryan Preece switched to red tires early, moving from 33rd to third, but finished 15th as the tires wore off. Bell’s crew chief, Adam Stevens, said, "We’ve had four races this year, put ourselves in position in all four and managed to win three, which is a pretty remarkable batting average — something that will be hard to maintain, I believe." The series will move to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway next, as stated by Sportsnet.
