With a brand new layout and questions about tire fall-off at Circuit of the Americas, we didn’t know what to expect going into the third race of the NASCAR season. What we got was an incredible race that saw Christopher Bell claim his second straight victory of the season.
The final stage featured an incredible dash to the finish as multiple drivers battled for the win. Let’s dive into what happened.
Stage One at Circuit of the Americas
It didn’t take long for the action to get exciting at Circuit of the Americas as the iconic Turn One delivered an incident on the first lap of the race. Ross Chastain made an error braking that saw Chase Eliiott’s #9 go for a spin and also caused damage to both Denny Hamlin and rookie phenom Connor Zilisch.
The incident sent Elliott and Zilisch to the back and forced both drivers to battle their way to the front.
RETALIATION. 😳💥@NASCARONFOX | #EchoParkGP pic.twitter.com/EZYOscB2ZX
— NASCAR at COTA (@NASCARatCOTA) March 2, 2025
Another notable incident occurred when Austin Cindric spun Ty Dillon on the front stretch, sending Dillon’s #10 into the wall.
The remainder of the stage was relatively clean with Bubba Wallace claiming the stage win after several of the leaders pitted to flip the stage in a strategy move.
Stage Two at Circuit of the Americas
Stage two of the EchoPark Automotive GP passed without major incident other than a loose wheel for Kyle Larson that saw the #5 penalized.
Well, that's not good. Kyle Larson's wheel fell off. 🫣 pic.twitter.com/nFPkI2yP4E
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) March 2, 2025
Much like stage one, the leaders pitted to flip the stage. This time it was Ryan Preece who capitalized by staying out and winning the stage.
Stage Three at Circuit of the Americas
Stage three of the EchoPark Automotive GP at Circuit of the Americas featured a little bit of everything. We saw differing strategies on green flag stops and great battles for position.
The first caution for incident of the race occurred when Daniel Suarez spun, collecting teammate Connor Zilisch in the process and ending the day for both drivers.
On the ensuing restart, Kyle Busch jumped out to a commanding lead – though Christopher Bell was able to push him at times. When green flag pit stops began, Busch was one of the earlier leaders to pit – Bell on the other hand stayed out longer giving him fresher tires for the sprint to the finish.
While it looked like Bell was closing after green flag stops cycled through, the driver of the #20 may not have had enough time to catch Busch until an incident with Denny Hamlin and Austin Dillon saw the #3 car beached and the second caution for incident of the day.
Kyle Busch maintained the lead after the restart following the incident but with fresher tires, Christopher Bell turned up the pressure on Busch in the closing stages before being able to complete the pass after several laps of clean battling.
THIS RACE 👀
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) March 2, 2025
KYLE BUSCH AND CHRISTOPHER BELL BATTLING HARD UP FRONT AT COTA. pic.twitter.com/PHpP9z89ks
However, the race was over after Bell completed the pass on Busch as William Byron was able to follow Bell through. Byron closed right to the bumper of Bell in the final three laps but was unable to complete the pass as Christopher Bell held him off for his second straight win of the season.
Adam Stevens Post Race Presser
“This win was as much a message to ourselves as anything, this win showcased their ability to win on any track on the schedule.”
“We didn’t want to pit too early (prior to the final caution) to make sure we had good tires to the end”
“Tremendous amount of respect between all the guys at the front racing for the win. Have to have that level of respect to be competitive.”
“Most of the field thought six would be called for track limits, NASCAR did relay early in the race that track limits would not be enforced in turn six.”
He's a ringer! 🔔 pic.twitter.com/KcSJdK3Dx9
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 3, 2025
Christopher Bell Post Race Presser
“Really aware of who is behind me. Refreshing and fun to see a clean race play out.”
“It’s nice to be able to capitalize on race wins – last year there were so many race wins that got away when I had the fastest car.”
“Can’t reiterate enough how refreshing it was to have such a clean, respectful, hard race to the finish.”
“Dirt racing might have helped me today because we were sliding like crazy.”
The thrilling race was a masterclass in what it means to push your competitors cleanly. The reconfiguration of the circuit at CotA delivered an absolute thriller that fans will be talking about for years to come.
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