NASCAR Barometer: Bell Wins Two in a Row

Christopher Bell used fresher tires and his road course skill to pass Kyle Busch for the lead with six laps to go in Sunday's EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix, holding off William Byron and Tyler Reddick in a close three-way duel to the finish. The win was the second in a row for Bell, who is the first driver to win back-to-back NASCAR Cup Series races since Chris Buescher won at Richmond and Michigan in 2023. Bell's success is coming at an ideal time, too. Having two wins so early in the season, and right before heading to Phoenix for the first time, gives Bell and the No. 20 team the luxury of focusing on what they hope will be another championship race at the end of the season. Bell missed out on that opportunity last season after a controversial finish at Richmond, and both he and the team will be working hard to ensure they don't find themselves in a similar position again this fall. Only William Byron joins Bell in having an early season win that enables him to focus on the playoffs, and Ryan Blaney joins those two as the only drivers with more than 100 championship points scored from the first three races.

Up next is a preview of what drivers can expect later in the year if they are fortunate enough to navigate the playoffs and remain in the championship hunt all the way to Phoenix. Bell won there in the spring last season, but it was Joey Logano who scored the win and landed the 2024 series championship in the fall. It will be a chance for Bell and Byron to perfect their approach for the fall, while the rest of the field will have to balance that with trying to secure a win and a playoff spot for themselves. The bread and butter of the NASCAR season begins to get underway next week at Phoenix Raceway.

UPGRADE

Christopher Bell - Starting 19th in Sunday's road course race at Circuit of the Americas didn't hurt Bell's chances as he raced through the field to capture his second successive win. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver was inside the top 10 for the end of the second segment, setting the stage for a push to the finish. In the final miles of the race, Bell's car was the quickest with enough tire left to support him to the end. He passed Kyle Busch with less than 10 laps remaining and then managed the gap from there to the checkered flag. Sunday's victory was the first road course win for Bell since the Charlotte ROVAL in 2022. It was also the championship contender's second straight top-two finish on a road course after coming home as the runner up at the ROVAL last season. Bell now firmly has his sights set on the championship, and the coming week's race at Phoenix will give him an opportunity to hone his effort for another potential championship race appearance in the fall.

William Byron - Byron finished second in Sunday's EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix despite starting 15th. The Hendrick Motorsports driver's runner-up finish was also his second top-two result at the track in a row after winning last season's race. Despite a lackluster starting spot, Byron climbed through the field and was a fixture in the top 10 by the end of the second stage. Byron used the final laps to stalk the leaders, picking off cars ahead, as he chased Bell to the checkered flag. In the end, Byron couldn't get close enough to challenge the No. 20 Toyota and was forced to settle for the runner-up spot, which was his second top-two finish of the season. After Sunday's race, Byron leads the series standings with a two-point margin over Team Penske's Ryan Blaney. With a win under his belt, Byron will be focused this week at Phoenix on preparing for what he hopes will be another championship finale appearance at the track later this season.

Chase Elliott - Elliott flexed his road course muscle with another superb performance in the face of severe adversity. The once dominant road course racer started Sunday's race optimistically in third before being hit in the first corner or the first lap, suffering toe-link damage. Elliott soldiered on an stayed on track instead of pitting at the end of the first stage to salvage some points, though. That move paid off after the team fixed the damage during the stage break and put Elliott back on track but at the back of the field. That is when Elliott came to life, though. The former champion picked his way forward methodically, without mistakes, and found his way back inside the top five at the finish. The fourth-place result was Elliott's third road course top-five from the last four tries. While he isn't dominating for wins, Elliott is quietly still producing the most consistent top finishes on these types of tracks. 

Kyle Busch - Busch earned his second consecutive top-10 finish with a fifth-place run at COTA Sunday afternoon. The result was Busch's first top-five of the season, but the finish will sting a little after leading the race so late before sliding backward. Busch started the contest inside the top 10 and finished in the top five in both stages before being in position to win with 10 laps remaining. The hard work necessary to get there took too much out of Busch's equipment, though. Despite a valiant and close-fought race for the lead, Busch succumbed to Christopher Bell and continued slipping backward as those with better grip lined up to attack. Still, it was Busch's best finish of the season so far, and more races with that type of speed will net a victory sooner or later. The weekend's success should also give him a boost in Phoenix where he is a three-time winner. Busch sits ninth in the standings after three races.

Tyler Reddick - Reddick's road course prowess was on full display this past weekend. The 23XI Racing driver grabbed pole position with teammate Bubba Wallace alongside to start the festivities. In the race, Reddick leapt into the lead and led a total of nine laps in the early portion of the contest. Despite playing the long game in pit strategy, Reddick also was quick enough to score stage points in the first segment, too. While he wasn't able to get back to the lead later in the distance, Reddick remained a factor and closed in on the leaders in the final laps after picking his way past slower contenders. Sunday's third-place finish was his second top-five of the season and is one of just three drivers to have two from the first three races. His fourth-place position in the standings is representative of his early-season success, too. This week's trip to Phoenix should be more of the same. Reddick finished sixth there last fall and finished third there two other times.

DOWNGRADE

Kyle Larson - Sunday's race was a miserable one full of penalties for Larson. First, confusion over NASCAR's track limits policing led to a penalty for Larson cutting a turn. The incident resulted in a stop-and-go penalty, losing valuable time and track position. Things only got worse when the No. 5 then lost a wheel following their pit stop. With the wheel coming off, NASCAR held Larson for two laps as the standard penalty for such a situation. It was an afternoon of mishaps that left Larson with little to salvage. However, the former champion did score stage points in the first segment to help blunt some of the damage inflicted. It was a weekend to forget for he and the team, though. With Phoenix on the horizon, Larson leaves COTA still 16th in points due to his third-place finish at Atlanta. He and the No. 5 crew will be anxious for a return to more typical ovals, especially Phoenix, where Larson finished fourth last fall.

Austin Cindric - The EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix weekend was an outright disaster for Cindric. The Penske driver went from fighting for wins in the first two races of the year to a dismal qualifying and a terrible race in Austin. First, Cindric struggled to get single-lap speed out of his car and qualified just 36th for Sunday's race. Then, in the race, Cindric had contact with Ty Dillon and circulated mostly outside of the top 20 in a miserable afternoon. Considering Cindric is one of the better road racers in the field, his lack of a respectable result from the weekend feels like an even bigger missed opportunity than not winning on the superspeedways. Cindric and team need to pick the pieces up and dust themselves off to avoid a prolonged slump. Up next is Phoenix, where Cindric has a best finish of 11th. He finished 13th there last fall, and could use a top-15 finish to ensure the bleeding from COTA stops quickly.

Daniel Suarez - Sunday's race looked like it could bring a good outcome for Suarez and his No. 99 team after he put the car fifth on the grid in qualifying. Once racing was underway, the situation remained bright as Suarez went on to score stage points in both segments. However, the story took a turn for the worse as the final stage was getting underway. Suarez spun off track and was clouted by an oncoming Connor Zilisch, ending the race for both drivers. The 36th-place spot Suarez was credited with was also his second finish outside of the top 30 in a row, and his low points tally from the race leaves him 29th in points and tied with Ryan Preece. Suarez's best finish of the season so far was his 13th-place finish at Daytona, and he'll need a lot better than the last two weeks to secure another playoff appearance. That work needs to begin this week at Phoenix where Suarez finished 13th or better in each of his last three visits.

Connor Zilisch - Not all debuts are fairytales, and Zilisch's much-anticipated Cup Series debut was far from one. The young driver's abilities on road courses had been well documented, and the amazing tale only got brighter when he visited Victory Lane in the Xfinity series on Saturday. That good fortune didn't carry into Sunday, though. Zilisch landed a respectable 14th-place starting spot for the race and was working to get to the finish and perhaps score a top-10 finish. It all came unglued early in the final stage when Suarez spun ahead, though. Zilisch attempted to avoid the No. 99 but made heavy contact, ending his afternoon in the blink of an eye. While the result wasn't the dream ending he and many others hoped for, it was still good experience. Zilisch has a bright future in NASCAR ahead of him, and his next chance in this series likely won't be too far away.

BIGGEST SURPRISE

Bubba Wallace and Ryan Preece - Race finishes of 20th and 33rd may not have been what they hoped for, but Wallace and Preece both showed significant road course improvement at COTA. First, Wallace qualified on the front row, and then both drivers picked up unlikely stage wins through pit strategy. While Wallace was the faster of the two, he struggled with handling and a solution to his problems couldn't be found. However, he continued to stay within touch and scored more stage points in the second segment, too. Both drivers should be pleased with their performances despite slipping backward  for the race finish. The points each driver captured could prove to be very handy as the playoff picture takes shape, too. Wallace, for his part, even heads to Phoenix sitting sixth in the standings. Sunday's stage wins signaled road course improvement and the ability of each driver to take advantage of opportunities that may come their way.