Superspeedway, highway course — doesn’t matter for proper now.
After profitable final week, the 30-year-old prevailed once more Sunday within the at in Austin, Texas.
He turned the primary NASCAR Cup Sequence driver to win two of the primary three races of a season since Kevin Harvick in 2018. Bell outpaced and pole sitter Tyler Reddick to do it.
Bell took the lead from Kyle Busch within the ultimate 10 laps. Chase Elliott and Busch rounded out the highest 5.
Listed here are three takeaways:
1. Acquainted names, Christopher Bell and William Byron, place first and second
Bell and Byron are hoarding the highest spots on the leaderboard thus far in 2025.
Throughout the first week of the season, Byron claimed his second straight Daytona 500 victory. Bell adopted that at Atlanta final week, after which the 2 completed first and second at COTA.
Fairly dominant begin.
Sunday marked Bell’s eleventh profession win. He led eight of the 95 laps, a far cry from Busch’s race-high 42 laps because the chief.
Bell sped to second at this observe in 2024.
“That was nearly a deja vu of final yr,” he mentioned. “I had the observe place that point. Man, these highway course races are simply a lot enjoyable …
“We didn’t rely final week. Final week was a speedway. We didn’t have that one circled. We undoubtedly had this one circled. I’m able to hold including to it.”
Bell began nineteenth. Byron started fifteenth.
“We got here a great distance this weekend,” Byron mentioned. “Actually pleased with that. We had been fairly far off to start out and bought ourselves clearly raceable and ready to win.
“So simply sucks to be so rattling shut, proper? You could be on the bumper of the man coming to the road, and that sucks. Plenty of races forward, and hopefully we are able to simply hold bringing the pace.”
2. Connor Zilisch doesn’t end Cup Sequence debut
The way forward for NASCAR will stay sooner or later for a little bit longer.
Making his NASCAR Cup Sequence debut within the No. 87 Trackhouse Chevrolet, high prospect didn’t end, putting thirty seventh.
The 18-year-old rookie sustained injury on Flip 1 of Lap 1. Ross Chastain collided with Chase Elliott. Denny Hamlin and Zilisch additionally caught items of it, forcing Zilisch to pit with a flat tire and a damaged toe hyperlink.
He discovered extra hassle within the fiftieth lap. Trackhouse teammate Daniel Suarez spun, sending Zilisch into the tire barrier at Flip 19.
“All I noticed was a cloud of smoke, and by the point I noticed him, it was method too late to do something,” Zilisch mentioned. “I noticed him spinning off to the left, and I believed he was going to maintain stepping into that route or keep there. I suppose he flipped again proper, and he began coming towards me.
“Actually unlucky option to finish my Cup Sequence debut. We had been one of many top-five quickest vehicles within the second stage there. I went from exterior the highest 30 to 14th, and I felt actually good about our Chevy.”
It wasn’t a fruitless weekend, although. Zilisch received Saturday’s Xfinity Sequence occasion.
SUPERCROSS:
3. Up subsequent for NASCAR: To the desert
NASCAR continues its western trajectory this coming week when it makes the primary of two annual visits to Phoenix Raceway, the place the 2024 championships on all three nationwide sequence had been settled simply 4 months earlier.
The Xfinity Sequence races Saturday (protection begins at 5 p.m. on the CW), and the Cup Sequence goes inexperienced Sunday afternoon shortly after protection begins at 3:30 p.m. on Fox Sports activities 1.
— Ken Willis contributed to this report
