The NASCAR Cup Series went to its first traditional oval of the season at Phoenix Raceway on Sunday and saw Christopher Bell claim the win. For Bell, it’s his third straight win, becoming the first driver in this generation of cup car to win a trifecta in a row.
This race had an added layer of intrigue from the start, as NASCAR and GoodYear were trying out a new “option” tire that allowed the teams to make different strategy decisions. The tire provided for some good racing early on, and gave the teams multiple options for how to call the race.
In the early phase of this race, we saw some of those strategy decisions benefit certain drivers. By the end of the first stage, William Byron continued his strong start to the season, getting the stage win.
Stage two continued the theme of drivers who have had early success this season continuing. This time, it was back-to-back winner Bell securing the stage victory and the important playoff point.
The final stage really ramped up the importance of the tire decisions. Some drivers, like Ty Dillon and Ryan Preece, had an extra set of option tires. Others like Joey Logano had already used theirs up, forced to run the remainder of the race on the slower choice.
Down the stretch, multiple cautions threw loops into the strategy. Eventually, it came down to a green-white-checkered finish. Bell was able to fend off Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson, winning for the third straight time.