Christopher Bell has proven that road courses are no match for his skills behind the wheel. On Sunday, the No. 20 Joe Gibbs driver carried his winning streak from Atlanta into COTA. The win marks Bell’s second of 2025. Bell was expected to perform strongly at COTA based on last year’s P2 finish against William Byron. It seems he did just that by notching his 11th career win. Can he continue this stroke of luck into the Shriners Children’s 500 at Phoenix this weekend to notch three consecutive?
Why Christopher Bell’s Back-to-Back Wins are Pivotal
Christopher Bell’s Sunday victory is monumental. He won consecutive races for the first time since Chris Buescher in 2023. The only other driver to accomplish this was 60-time champ Kevin Harvick in 2016. Even so, the win is just as important for the No. 20 driver as it is for his team at Joe Gibbs Racing.
JGR remained winless for the last 16 races of 2024, making Bell’s wins at Atlanta and COTA a positive turning point. For 42 laps it seemed like a Christopher Bell and Kyle Busch show. No. 08 Busch led while Bell trailed behind until final pit stops and a caution gave him the chance to break free.
Even though Bell could maneuver past the Richard Childress driver, he decided it was worthwhile to make a stop. The stop resulted in him staying out for five laps after a last-minute decision to make a full tire change. It’s speculated that the move led to Bell’s dominance throughout the race, but that didn’t stop William Byron.
Kyle Busch also maintained his dominance, but this would be short-lived. Byron saw the opportunity and went for it once Christopher Bell edged back into the race, knocking Busch out of contention for the win. With Kyle Busch no longer a threat, William Byron knew he had to make a move on Bell, quickly turning the race into a tag team.
Controversial End of Race Showdown
Though William Byron intended to finish Sunday’s race clean, that wasn’t true for fellow No. 11 Denny Hamlin and No. 03 Austin Dillon. Hamlin tried to make a pass that pushed Dillon clean off track, forcing the race into caution. Christopher Bell and Kyle Busch seized the opportunity to contend for the lead, making it a two-man show again.
With only five laps to go, No. 08 Busch was sure he could clinch a victory after standing winless for 59 races. No. 45 Tyler Reddick (P3) and Chase Elliott (P4) also gave the RCR driver a scare after attempts to pass. However, the pair were the least of Kyle Busch’s worries as he coursed through the final five laps of the race. Bell snuck his way back in stealing the top spot from No. 08 driver in what seemed like a repeat of COTA 2024.
As Christopher Bell rounded the finish line to the checkered flag, he dashed hopes Busch would win the race. He spoke openly to FOX Sports regarding the fight for the win.“That was almost a deja vu of last year,” he said. “Whenever Kyle was leading, I was trying to be cautious. I was trying to pass him clean. He was doing such a good job of running his race. He bobbled and allowed me to get out front. Those were about the sloppiest five or six laps I’ve ever run,” he explained.
Hendrick Motorsports No. 24 William Byron, who came in P2, described how it felt to be amid the on-track battle.“It was really close,” Byron mentioned during a post-race interview with FOX Sports.“I felt like the battle between him and Kyle was sitting there waiting for one of them to bobble or slide their tires. Bell got by him and I felt like once he got clear, his car was super loose. It gave me a couple shots at him, I just couldn’t get beside him.” “I didn’t want to blatantly move him,” he continued.
Final Thoughts
Christopher Bell proved on Sunday why he continues to be a strong contender in the NASCAR Cup Series. He qualified in P19, which put him toward the back of the field, but not so far that he couldn’t recover. Yet, no one could have predicted he would steal the top spot from 63-time champ Kyle Busch. It also seemed like he fared stronger than Hendrick’s William Byron who beat him at COTA last year in 2024 in just over 0.433 seconds. Can Bell clinch another victory at Phoenix Raceway for the Shriners Children’s 500 this weekend? Stay tuned.
