Christopher Bell is off to a blazing start four races into the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season, already cementing his place in the history books.
Bell’s Shriners Children’s 500 victory at Phoenix Raceway marked his third straight checkered flag of the season, following wins at Atlanta and Circuit of the Americas in a showcase of his versatility across different track styles.
In his second straight win on Phoenix Raceway’s 1-mile tri-oval Sunday, Bell became the 29th driver to win three consecutive races and the first to accomplish the feat in the Next-Gen car era. He’s also the first to accomplish the feat since Kyle Larson’s 2021 run.
Sunday’s race packed plenty of thrills – with lead changes, caution flags and race-defining decisions – and even more drama at the finish line. While Katherine Legge’s NASCAR Cup Series debut proved historic, Bell stole the spotlight and the lead from teammate Denny Hamlin in the final seconds for a photo finish.
“I’m so proud,” Bell said Sunday after the race. “I’m so proud of all of the mechanics, the engineers, the pit crew members, everybody on this 20 car and what you are seeing is everybody pulling the rope in the same direction everybody doing their jobs to the best of their abilities and this is what I knew that could come out of this team.
Bell had not won since last June in New Hampshire until winning the Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Feb. 23. He followed with a win at NASCAR’s first road course at Circuit of the Americas in the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix on March 2.
On Sunday, Bell started in 11th place, made his way inside the top 10 and never fell out, leading 105 of 312 laps. His performance further showed off his ability to win on any track style.
“The short tracks, he’s got a little bit of something,” Bell’s crew chief Adam Stevens said. “He is good at micromanaging his line and finding that little bit of grip and willing to move around and change things … having the ability to adapt lap to lap and adapt as the race goes, if we see something with another team’s driving style we can relay it to him, and he can instantly duplicate it.
As the team celebrated a remarkable achievement, JGR team owner Joe Gibbs reflected on the significance of their collective success.
“It means a lot to all of us,” Gibbs said. “At our race team, we pride ourselves on everybody working together at the shop … this is rare right here. What we are experiencing is something special and I want to enjoy it.”
Hamlin’s second-place finish was his best of the young season. When Bell and Hamlin both got the white flag on a restart, Hamlin had a slight edge. But Bell recovered and regained the lead on the final lap, nudging past Hamlin on the inside as they raced side-by-side.
“I picked the bottom,” Bell said. “Because I felt like the bottom was the safest spot to launch at, and it’s all about getting a good push. And the last couple of restarts, I struggled to get that push and I ended up being contested by the time I got to Turn One and being on the bottom is maybe an advantage on the start.
“But once you get into the corner, if you don’t get clear, it’s a disadvantage and coming to the white flag I thought I was in the losing position.”
Bell crossed the finish line ahead of Hamlin by 0.049 seconds – the second closest finish at Phoenix Raceway. The dramatic ending was fitting for a race that had 15 lead changes and 10 cautions, including five caution flags in the first 100 laps at Phoenix Raceway for the first time since 2011.
William Byron, who finished in sixth place, continues to lead the NASCAR Cup Series standings with 165 points, despite only having one win this season, which came at the Daytona 500. His consistent performance has allowed him to stay ahead of Bell despite the three consecutive wins. Bell trails Byron by 13 points.
Now, Bell looks to make more history and join an even rarer list Sunday at the Pennzoil 400 in Las Vegas. Only eight drivers have won four races in a row, with the most recent being Jimmie Johnson in 2007.
“Man that is special,” Bell said. “To hear that and know that I have that opportunity ahead of me and we are going to a darn good place for it and this sport has become so incredibly tough with the parity we have and the teams are so tight … there are 10 to 15 guys that can win on any given week.”