Christopher Bell wins at Phoenix, ends Chevy's season-opening run

 

[March 11, 2024]  Christopher Bell grabbed the lead with 40 laps to go in Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series race and ended Chevrolet's parade to Victory Lane, winning the Shriners Children's 500 at Phoenix Raceway.

After Martin Truex Jr. pitted, the hard-charging Bell -- who restarted 20th on the final green flag with 92 laps to go -- roared through the field and became the eighth different winner in the past eight races at Phoenix.

Winning by 5.465 seconds over Chris Buescher, Bell, in his No. 20 Toyota Camry XSE for Joe Gibbs Racing, snapped Chevrolet's three-race, season-opening winning streak.

It was the first win for Bell, the 29-year-old from Norman, Okla., in the Arizona desert and his seventh in 148 career starts.

"This one feels really good," said Bell, who led 50 laps and scored a Cup victory for the fourth straight season. "You don't get cars like that very often. ... I feel like we have the capability of running races like this a lot. Hopefully, this is the first of many this year."

Added Buescher of his first top-five finish of the season: "That was almost a win (Sunday). ... But like we were just talking, I couldn't even see the 20. That was going to be a tough one to battle for a win."

Ty Gibbs, Brad Keselowski and Ryan Blaney completed the top five in the six-caution race.

With two of the JGR cars occupying the front row, top qualifier Denny Hamlin paced the group, but teammate Gibbs, last season's Rookie of the Year, soon led his first laps with a strong start at the 1-mile flat track.

But after settling in after five laps, Derek Kraus looped his No. 16 Chevrolet by himself, collecting the cars of Austin Cindric and Austin Dillon in the process -- the latter's third early-race wreck this season.

As the 60-lap Stage 1 neared its end, Gibbs fought off Erik Jones before Tyler Reddick arrived at his inside door on Lap 58, taking the top spot and keeping his No. 45 Toyota there for his first stage win of the year.

Mar 10, 2024; Avondale, Arizona, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Christopher Bell (20) during the Shriners Childrens 500 at Phoenix Raceway. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Following pit stops, Hamlin took control and led until the first set of green-flag pit stops began at Lap 116, with eighth-place Blaney bringing in his No. 12 Ford first.

As the cars cycled around, Reddick raced it out with Hamlin at the front and took the lead.

Meanwhile, Gibbs had right-rear tire problems on a loose wheel and had to bring his No. 54 Toyota in to secure it.

But at the end of Stage 2, Bell moved to the point and won his first stage of the 2024 campaign, as the Camrys of Bell, Reddick and Hamlin occupied the top three positions.

John Hunter Nemechek brought out the fifth caution when he got into Joey Logano's No. 22 and spun the Ford into the wall while it was in position for the free pass.

"You've got to lift to make the corner spot, you know, you can't hold it wide open around Phoenix," Logano said. "He drove straight into the back of me and needs to be man enough to own up to that."

While racing Reddick for the lead on Lap 215, Hamlin spun after light contact to fly the final caution flag.

--Field Level Media

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