Kyle Busch expresses major frustration at Christopher Bell after Circuit of the Americas. Watch Busch confront Bell after the event!
[autotag]Kyle Busch[/autotag] was running well before a mistake by [autotag]Christopher Bell[/autotag] affected his race at Circuit of the Americas. Bell dove into Turn 1 and didn’t expect Busch to cross over toward the bottom. The No. 20 car hit the No. 8 car and spun him out. Bell ended up finishing in second place behind William Byron, while Busch climbed to ninth place.
Following the race, Busch confronted Bell on pit road. No fists were thrown, but Bell didn’t say much as Busch lit into him. The two drivers have a history together as Busch owned Bell’s truck that won the NASCAR Truck Series championship in 2017. The two drivers are close and have a significant amount of respect for each other.
In this instance, Busch suggested that Bell has one coming. Bell admitted that Busch hadn’t wrecked him and didn’t try to make an excuse. Moving forward, it will be interesting to see how the former teammates race each other. Bell and Busch will likely be around each other most weeks, so the No. 20 car could face the same fate as the No. 8 car at COTA.
Christopher Bell was fast enough to erase a 9s deficit in the final stint of Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Circuit of The Americas, but he also needed a little fortune to take the victory. Bell and the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing team finished …
Christopher Bell was fast enough to erase a 9s deficit in the final stint of Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Circuit of The Americas, but he also needed a little fortune to take the victory.
Bell and the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing team finished second to William Byron in the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix. Pitting for the final time under green with 20 laps to go, Bell cycled out in sixth position, 9s behind the lead. He took third with seven laps to go, now 5.6 seconds behind, and took second with three laps to go.
The gap was 2.7s when he took second place. At the white flag, his Camry was 1.7s behind Byron.
“Obviously, when I got close to him, it was going to be tough to pass him,” Bell said. “I needed a couple of mistakes. William has been really, really good on the road courses, and he was flawless when it mattered today.”
Bell felt at least one more lap would have put him even closer to Byron, but there was no guarantee he would overtake the Hendrick Motorsports driver.
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“It seems like another lap and I would have got there for sure with our DEWALT Camry,” Bell said. “Passing was going to be a little more difficult and I needed him to make a mistake.”
Byron was the dominant car Sunday, leading the most laps (42) from the pole. Bell, however, led nine laps and won the first stage as the team kept to a two-stop strategy.
While the day ended on a high note, it wasn’t smooth for Bell, who spun two of his competitors. The first was contact with Kyle Larson on lap 21.
“I completely take ownership of [that],” Bell said. “I’m completely sorry about that and had no intention of that.”
Bell’s second incident came in the final stage when he got into former teammate Kyle Busch. After the race, Busch confronted Bell on pit road.
“The Kyle Busch incident was a little bit different [from Larson] because I wasn’t trying to make a move or pass him,” Bell said. “He opened his entry up because he was too wide, and I was obviously under him when he came down. I had no intentions of spinning him out at all.”
Christopher Bell talks about the possibility of the NASCAR Cup Series returning to dirt tracks. Find out what Bell said about the idea!
[autotag]Christopher Bell[/autotag] has plenty of experience with dirt racing. Before focusing more on NASCAR, Bell won the 2013 USAC National Midget Series championship, three Chili Bowl events, and five World of Outlaws races. Speaking of NASCAR, the driver of the No. 20 car also won the final dirt race at Bristol Motor Speedway before returning to the pavement.
This marks the first time NASCAR hasn’t brought the Cup Series to Bristol Dirt since 2020. Due to this fact, Bell spoke to NBC Sports about the future of the Cup Series on dirt tracks. Obviously, the comments from Bell are significant due to his past dirt racing success.
“I don’t think we should go down the path of having one dirt race a year,” Bell said. “Whenever you have that single event, it becomes easy to overlook and then people don’t take it seriously. We saw that in road course racing early on in the sport…If you weren’t a good road course racer, you would just kind of put it behind you and it was easy to put it behind you, and ‘Well, on to the next one.’”
“The dirt race was very much that same way. For all of the teams that didn’t have a dirt driver, it was just kind of an off week for them, a throw away event.”
Bell is correct because the Cup Series does belong on dirt tracks. Does the current version of the NextGen car belong in those venues? That’s a debate for a different day; however, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver is right. If NASCAR wants to add dirt tracks to the schedule, there must be more than one. It’s the only way it will indeed be taken seriously.
In each of the four years the NASCAR Cup series championship has been contested at Phoenix Raceway, at least one Toyota driver has been included. But none of those drivers finished higher than third in the final championship standings. “It’s …
In each of the four years the NASCAR Cup series championship has been contested at Phoenix Raceway, at least one Toyota driver has been included. But none of those drivers finished higher than third in the final championship standings.
“It’s completely unacceptable that we have yet to win a championship in Phoenix,” TRD president David Wilson said over the winter. “I can go back and make excuses, but the buck stops here (and) it stops with our team partners and we, bottom line, haven’t gotten the job done.
“Our focus is Phoenix, and we all put so much emphasis on that.”
Toyota had five drivers lead Sunday’s race in a dominating showing for the manufacturer with 298 of 312 laps led. Christopher Bell went to victory lane, which was Toyota’s first win at the track since the spring of 2021 with Martin Truex Jr. However that race was the last year of the sixth-generation race car at the track. and since NASCAR rolled out Next Gen in 2022, it’s been even tougher sledding for the Toyota teams. In the previous four races at Phoenix, Toyota drivers had combined to lead just 15 laps.
“It’s no secret that Phoenix has been a little bit of a struggle for us,” Bell said after winning the Shriners Children’s 500. “After that first year of Next Gen, myself and Adam (Stevens, crew chief), we really sat down and said that Phoenix needs to be a focus point because I didn’t feel very good there the first two races in 2022 and then in 2023, we were a little better each time and today was lights out so today is a great day for the company.”
Denny Hamlin started the weekend by winning the pole and admitting Phoenix has been his weakest oval racetrack. Like his teammate Bell, Hamlin said he and his No. 11 group has been working on improving at Phoenix.
Toyota’s last fall win at Phoenix came in 2019, when it wasn’t the championship race. Lesley Ann Miller/Motorsport Images
Hamlin won the fall race at Phoenix Raceway in 2019 to qualify for the championship race a week later at Homestead-Miami Speedway. A year later, Phoenix started hosting the championship race. Hamlin made the Championship 4 in 2020 and 2021.
Looking back at Hamlin’s comments after those races, where he finished fourth (2020) and third (2021) in the final standings, brings to light how the pendulum was swinging away from Toyota’s direction. The short-track package wasn’t as strong for the Gibbs group in 2020, and Hamlin knew that things needed to fall perfectly for him in the finale. In 2021, it came down to an untimely final caution that sent the contenders down pit road one last time, where Kyle Larson’s team prevailed to get him out front.
But in hindsight, Hamlin and his camp knew it would be an uphill battle even going into the races. Hamlin later recalled a conversation on the plane to Phoenix during one of those championship seasons where Joe Gibbs Racing knew, given where they stacked up at Phoenix, they were long shots to win the title.
Hamlin led 68 laps on Sunday. Tyler Reddick also led 68 laps. Bell led 50 after taking the lead for the final time from Martin Truex Jr., who led 55. Ty Gibbs, who got the jump on Hamlin at the start of the race, led the first 57 laps.
Reddick won the first stage and Bell won the second stage. From start to finish at Phoenix, it was a day for Toyota.
Wilson’s tone afterwards was much different, with a hint of relief, from the last time he spoke about Phoenix Raceway.
“For Toyota, this was a momentous win,” Wilson said. “This was the first win with our new Camry body. I was clear to say at the beginning of the year that we have struggled here recently. I didn’t realize this statistic until it was brought to my attention, but in the four previous Phoenix races, Toyota led a combined 15 laps.
“(Sunday) we led everything but 14 laps. That’s a credit to the Joe Gibbs organization, TRD USA, Calty Design, who helped us with this new Camry body. At the same time, I will say that the secret to longevity in sports, in motorsports, is never get too high when the day goes your way, and never get too low when it doesn’t because we’re going to be racing again next week. Phoenix will be in our rearview mirror.”
Toyota deserves its due for the work that went into making a statement with Sunday’s performance. But as Wilson also advised, it’s just a start in the right direction and the series is going to evolve between now and the championship race in November. For the teams who couldn’t keep up with the Toyota drivers Sunday, plenty of racing is left to evolve and hone in on the short-track package.
If a Toyota driver makes it to Phoenix in the fall for the fifth consecutive year with a shot at the championship, there should be no overreacting to what that means based on the spring race. But there is no denying Toyota laid down the gauntlet of what the field is aiming for and should feel pretty good about having a much better notebook to build on for the race that really matters.
Christopher Bell’s win at Phoenix Raceway was the largest margin of victory in the NextGen car era since it was introduced in 2022.
[autotag]Christopher Bell[/autotag]’s race on Sunday afternoon at Phoenix Raceway can be classified as domination. Bell had the best car and despite some drivers saying passing was difficult, the No. 20 car seemed to have few problems doing such. In fact, Bell’s domination has officially been record in NextGen car history.
According to Fronstretch’s Stephen Stumpf, Bell’s 5.465-second margin of victory is the largest in the NextGen car era. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver eclipsed the old record, which was his 5.439-second win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 2022. The trends don’t lie as Bell seems to dominate like no other driver when given a good NextGen car.
Bell was in a different zip code compared to the other drivers at Phoenix, which could spell trouble for the competition moving forward. If the driver of the No. 20 car finally unlocks his potential, he could be a multi-race winner in 2024. Bell now looks forward to Bristol Motor Speedway, which is a track he has run very well at with the NextGen car.
Christopher Bell’s win at Phoenix indicates a breakout year could be on the way, despite making the Championship 4 the last two years.
[autotag]Christopher Bell[/autotag] made the Championship 4 in the last two years, but mistakes by his pit crew and a blown brake rotor ended his chances of winning his first NASCAR Cup Series title. Bell and Joe Gibbs Racing knew they needed to up their performance at Phoenix Raceway, the site of NASCAR’s championship race, and they did just that on Sunday afternoon.
Bell dominated the Cup Series race at Phoenix en route to the largest margin of victory in the NextGen car era. It only tops Bell’s win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 2022. In other words, the No. 20 car didn’t just find the speed it needed at Phoenix. It was the most dominant car Bell has likely ever had in his Cup Series career.
That should be scary for the competition. Bell has stepped up to the plate when it matters the most in the playoffs, but he and crew chief Adam Stevens have been adamant that the No. 20 team’s potential has not been met. Stevens knows that his driver can unlock more speed and vice versa. Bell has been underrated for the last two years because of this fact.
The No. 20 team has been a consistent force in the Cup Series but has lacked the speed to dominate an event. On Sunday afternoon, that changed. Bell hasn’t run this well at a track this early in the season since joining Joe Gibbs Racing. The No. 20 team members have all said the potential is there for a major breakout. A breakout after two Championship 4 seasons?
That is the case, and we may be watching the beginning of it. Bell has become the face of Joe Gibbs Racing, and with that comes the confidence needed to succeed. Bell and Stevens found the speed to combine with the confidence at Phoenix. Now, a multi-win regular season could be on the way, and Phoenix might be the first indication that Bell has finally arrived as a dominant driver.
Christopher Bell talks about his dominant victory at Phoenix Raceway in 2024. Find out what Bell had to say about his first win this season!
When NASCAR Cup Series practice ended at Phoenix Raceway on Friday afternoon, the entire garage knew [autotag]Christopher Bell[/autotag] would be the driver to beat on Sunday. Bell started Stage 1 with some struggles, but after the first pit stop, the No. 20 car was on rails. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver rallied to win Stage 2 and then won the race by over five seconds.
Following his dominant victory at Phoenix, Bell got out of his car, stood on the roof, and talked about the piece crew chief Adam Stevens gave him. Like many others, Bell knew the type of car he had on Sunday afternoon.
“Man, this one feels really good,” Bell said. Just a credit to [Adam Stevens], man. Adam, my engineers, my crew chief, all the mechanics on this thing. You don’t get cars like that very often, as you know. Just super, super proud. Proud to be on this 20 car. This Rheem Camry was amazing today. I feel like we have capability of running races like this a lot. Hopefully this is the first of many this year.”
If Bell and the No. 20 team perform like they did on Sunday afternoon, this will be the first of many wins. It was a dominant performance and officially ranks as the most significant margin of victory in the NextGen car era. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver really flexed his muscles at Phoenix, and he hopes to be in position to do it again in the Championship 4 for a third straight year.
Any questions or concerns about the Toyota teams evaporated in the Phoenix desert Sunday afternoon. Christopher Bell’s victory in the NASCAR Cup Series race capped off a dominating day for the manufacturer. Bell led 50 laps en route to winning, the …
Any questions or concerns about the Toyota teams evaporated in the Phoenix desert Sunday afternoon.
Christopher Bell’s victory in the NASCAR Cup Series race capped off a dominating day for the manufacturer. Bell led 50 laps en route to winning, the first for Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota in 2024. Chevrolet already swept the first three races.
Bell, though, was just one of five Toyota drivers who spent time in the front, along with polesitter Denny Hamlin, 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick, Martin Truex Jr., and Ty Gibbs — all combining to lead 298 of 312 laps.
“This was a momentous win,” Toyota Racing Development president David Wilson said. “This was the first win with our new Camry body. I was clear to say at the beginning of the year that we have struggled here recently. I didn’t realize this statistic until it was brought to my attention, but the four previous Phoenix races, Toyota’s led a combined 15 laps.
“Today, we led everything but 14 laps. That’s a credit to the Joe Gibbs organization, TRD USA, Calty Design, who helped us with this new Camry body. At the same time, I will say that the secret to longevity in sports — in motorsports — is never get too high when the day goes your way, and never get too low when it doesn’t, because we’re going to be racing again next week. Phoenix will be in our rearview mirror.”
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Four Toyota drivers finished inside the top 10 at Phoenix Raceway, led by Bell’s win. Hamlin and Reddick tied for a race-high 68 laps led.
Hamlin was taken out of contention when he spun on lap 215 while battling for the lead with Reddick. He finished 11th. As for Reddick, he never made it back through the field after pitting under the final caution (for Hamlin) while nine other drivers stayed out, and ultimately finished 10th.
Reddick, however, earned the first stage win for Toyota at Phoenix. Hamlin earned the manufacturer’s first pole during Saturday’s qualifying session.
“It was unprecedented how much TRD USA and Joe Gibbs Racing worked together on that body,” Wilson said. “I may have said, because I say this all the time — you don’t race wind tunnels, you don’t race dynos. You could be the best on paper, but unless you have the talent behind the steering wheel and the team and the pit crews to put an entire race together, the rest is meaningless.
“Certainly, what we’ve seen four races in validates a lot of our optimism, but we have a whole lot of racing to go — more intermediates, more big tracks, and short tracks to truly evaluate where we are.”
Through four races, Cup Series teams have competed at two superspeedway drafting tracks (Daytona and Atlanta), an intermediate (Las Vegas), and a short track (Phoenix), with another short track coming next week when the series heads to Bristol. The final puzzle piece — a road course — is just two weeks away at Circuit of The Americas.
Christopher Bell didn’t dominate Sunday’s race at Phoenix Raceway but flexed the muscle of his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry when it mattered to take the victory. Bell crossed the finish line first by over 5s on Chris Buescher. The No. 20 Toyota …
Christopher Bell didn’t dominate Sunday’s race at Phoenix Raceway but flexed the muscle of his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry when it mattered to take the victory.
Bell crossed the finish line first by over 5s on Chris Buescher. The No. 20 Toyota took the lead for the final time with 41 laps to go when teammate Martin Truex Jr. made his final pit stop under green flag conditions. Once back out front, Bell went unchallenged for his first victory of the season.
“This one feels really good,” Bell said. “Just a credit to Adam [Stevens, crew chief]. Adam, my engineers, my crew chief, all the mechanics on this thing… You don’t get cars like that very often, as you know. Just super, super proud. Proud to be on this No. 20 car.
“This Rheem Camry was amazing today. I feel like we have capability of running races like this a lot. Hopefully this is the first of many this year.”
Bell was able to cycle to the front of the field when the field split pit strategy under the lap 215 caution flag. Truex stayed out on track with nine other drivers and inherited the race lead, but Bell and most of the leaders opted for tires and had a car fast enough to drive back through the field.
The victory capped off an up-and-down day for the No. 20. He started 13th and finished the first stage in the same position. Bell took the lead for the first time on lap 181 and won the second stage, however he lost his track position when the team had a slow stop under the caution break. Michael Hicks, the right rear tire changer, took extra time to make sure the lug nut was tight before going around to change the left side tire.
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Bell was 20th when the race restarted for the final time before making another march through the field and led 50 laps en route to winning.
Sunday was the first victory for Toyota in the Cup Series this season.
Buescher and Ty Gibbs rounded out the top three finishers. Brad Keselowski finished fourth, and Ryan Blaney finished fifth.
Ross Chastain finished sixth, Martin Truex Jr., seventh, Michael McDowell, eighth, Chase Briscoe, ninth and Tyler Reddick, who won the first stage, 10th.
Denny Hamlin finished 11th after starting from the pole and leading 68 laps, tied for a race-high with Reddick. However, Hamlin brought out the final caution when he spun from the race lead on lap 215 while battling underneath Reddick in Turns 1 and 2.
There were 21 drivers on the lead lap at the end of Sunday’s race. Kyle Busch was the first driver one lap down after struggling with his Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. Busch qualified 31st and spun on his own on lap 196 off Turn 2.
Four drivers failed to finish the Shriners Children 500. Austin Cindric was the first driver to exit the race after being caught in a multi-car crash on lap 6 when Derek Kraus spun, and Cindric was run into from behind by Austin Dillon.
Corey LaJoie, Joey Logano, and Kraus exited the race after crashing on lap 205. Logano was hit from behind by John Hunter Nemechek and spun across the racetrack in Turns 1 and 2 and collected LaJoie and Kraus.
Toyota went three-for-three at Phoenix Raceway with victories in the ARCA Menards Series, Xfinity Series and Cup Series. Toyota drivers combined to lead 298 of 312 laps in the Cup race.
Christopher Bell wins the NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix Raceway. Check out the full results, race recap from Phoenix!
The NASCAR Cup Series arrived at Phoenix Raceway with a lot of unknowns. NASCAR introduced a new short-track package to increase the passing and competitiveness. At the end of the day, the race for the finish wasn’t competitive as a Joe Gibbs Racing driver dominated the Cup Series field at Phoenix.
[autotag]Christopher Bell[/autotag] won the Shriners Children’s 500 at Phoenix by over six seconds. Bell had the best car during the event and won Stage 2 after catching Tyler Reddick. In Stage 1, Reddick passed Ty Gibbs with a few laps remaining. Starting in Stage 2, Bell had the best car. This is the driver of the No. 20 car’s first victory of the season.
Bell will carry this momentum into Bristol Motor Speedway, another great track for him. He struggled in the last two races but knocked the monkey off his back at Phoenix. If Bell can keep this up on short tracks, this could be the first of two straight wins.
