Christopher Bell held off William Byron to win Sunday’s EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas, earning his second consecutive victory. Here are the major takeaways following the third race of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season.
Too early to claim championship favorites?
It’s only been three weeks since the 2025 season officially kicked off at Daytona, but Christopher Bell and William Byron appear to be the early-season title favorites. If not for a crash late in the race at Atlanta, Byron could have three top-five finishes to start the season. The same can be said for Bell, who was turned while running inside the top-five late in the Daytona 500. Bell and Byron put on quite the show battling for the win on Sunday, and they look to be in prime position to make it back to Phoenix and compete for the championship.
Road course ringers fall short
For the majority of Sunday’s race, Shane van Gisbergen and AJ Allmendinger were in contention. When the checkered flag flew, however, neither road course ace was in sight of the battle for the win. A bad restart by van Gisbergen on lap 78 sealed his fate, and while he was able to climb back into the top-10 and finish sixth, it was a disappointing result on a day that had so much promise. Allmendinger, on the other hand, mysteriously fell from fifth to 30th during the race’s final stretch. Both drivers put together solid runs, but neither driver truly maximized their day at COTA.
Busch nearly ends the drought
Kyle Busch led 42 laps and drove one of his best races in the Next-Gen era on Sunday, but it was all for naught. A fifth-place finish ensured Busch’s winless streak – now pushed to 60 races – lives on as the circuit heads to Phoenix. Busch was the dominant car for much of the race, but contact between Busch and Bell damaged Busch’s No. 8 and allowed Bell to maneuver around the two-time champion. It was a golden opportunity to get back to victory lane for Busch, who is still battling the longest winless streak of his 21-year NASCAR Cup Series career.
NASCAR Cup Series EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas Results:
- Christopher Bell
- William Byron
- Tyler Reddick
- Chase Elliott
- Kyle Busch
- Shane van Gisbergen
- Chris Buescher
- Noah Gragson
- Alex Bowman
- Todd Gilliland
- Michael McDowell
- Ross Chastain
- Carson Hocevar
- Chase Briscoe
- Brad Keselowski
- Justin Haley
- Riley Herbst
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
- Ryan Blaney
- Bubba Wallace
- Denny Hamlin
- John Hunter Nemechek
- Cole Custer
- Joey Logano
- Austin Cindric
- Josh Berry
- Erik Jones
- Ty Dillon
- Zane Smith
- AJ Allmendinger
- Cody Ware
- Kyle Larson
- Ryan Preece
- Ty Gibbs
- Austin Dillon
- Daniel Suarez
- Connor Zilisch
NASCAR Cup Series playoff bubble:
13. Joey Logano (+10)
14. John Hunter Nemechek (+9)
15. Carson Hocevar (+5)
16. Kyle Larson (+4)
17. Denny Hamlin (-4)
18. Shane van Gisbergen (-8)
19. Todd Gilliland (-8)
20. Ross Chastain (-9)
The fourth race of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season will be held at Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Arizona, on March 9. The Shriners Children’s 500 will go green shortly after 3;30 p.m. ET, with coverage on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
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