NASCAR Cup Phoenix: Bell cruises to win for Toyota, ending Chevrolet streak

Bell, who advanced to the Championship 4 last season with a chance to win the series title at Phoenix, blew a brake rotor early in the race and never was in the fight.

But this time around Joe Gibbs Racing driver Bell rallied to win Stage 2, then drove from 20th to first after the final pit stop and easily held off Chris Buescher (RFK Ford) by 5.465 seconds to earn his first win of 2024.

The win snaps Chevrolet’s three-race winning streak to start the season and gives Toyota a victory at a track where it had led a total of 15 laps in the previous four races. Bell led twice on Sunday for a total of 50 laps.

Bell was among a group of cars that elected to pit on lap 218 of 312, during what turned out to be the final caution of the race.

The top nine all gambled on staying out but Bell, on four new tyres and with plenty of fuel, reclaimed the lead when Martin Truex Jr. was forced to pit for fuel and led the final 41 laps.

Bell’s JGR team-mate Ty Gibbs ended up third, Brad Keselowski was fourth and Ryan Blaney fifth. Completing the top 10 were Ross Chastain, Truex, Michael McDowell, Chase Briscoe and Tyler Reddick.

Bell said: "You don't get cars like that very often. Just super, super proud. Proud to be on this #20 car. 

"This car was amazing today. I feel like we have the capability of running races like this a lot. Hopefully, this is the first of many this year."

Race winner Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota Camry (Photo by: Mike Meajhws / NKP / Motorsport Images)

Reddick had made the early running in Stage 1, passing Gibbs with three of 60 laps to go. But Bell turned the tables in Stage 2, passing Reddick with four of 125 laps remaining to secure his first stage victory of the 2024 season. Denny Hamlin ended up third, William Byron was fourth and Truex rounded out the top five.

Following the break between Stages 2 and 3, all the lead lap cars elected to pit with Hamlin first off pit road. But Bell had a slow stop and lined up 10th for the restart, as Hamlin led Reddick and Byron with 118 laps remaining.

Just after Reddick passed Hamlin for the lead on lap 203, Joey Logano got turned by John Hunter Nemechek entering Turn 1, which triggered a five-car accident that placed the race under caution.

A handful of cars pitted, but Reddick remained on the track and in the lead on the restart with 100 laps to go. Two laps after the restart, Hamlin got loose on the inside racing for the lead with Reddick off Turn 2 and spun around to bring out another caution.

Several drivers pitted, but Truex remained on the track and led the way when the race went back to green with 92 laps remaining. With 60 laps to go, Truex maintained a sizeable advantage out front but Gibbs – who came in under the previous caution for two new tires – had moved to second after restarting in 10th.

Nine laps later, Bell, who stopped for four new tires on his previous stop, got around Gibbs to take second. Truex was forced to pit for fuel with 40 laps to go, which handed the race lead over Bell, who had enough fuel to make it to end of the race.

Buescher passed Gibbs to move into second with 10 laps remaining.

NASCAR Cup Phoenix Race Results

CLA	DRIVER	#		MANUFACTURER	LAPS	TIME	INTERVAL	PITS	POINTS
1	C. BellJOE GIBBS RACING	20		Toyota	312	3:00'45.508		6	50
2	C. BuescherRFK RACING	17		Ford	312	+5.465 3:00'50.973	5.465	8	36
3	T. GibbsJOE GIBBS RACING	54		Toyota	312	+6.032 3:00'51.540	0.567	7	43
4	B. KeselowskiRFK RACING	6		Ford	312	+9.243 3:00'54.751	3.211	7	35
5	R. BlaneyTEAM PENSKE	12		Ford	312	+9.448 3:00'54.956	0.205	7	41
6	R. ChastainTRACKHOUSE RACING	1		Chevrolet	312	+9.499 3:00'55.007	0.051	7	31
7	M. Truex JrJOE GIBBS RACING	19		Toyota	312	+13.150 3:00'58.658	3.651	7	37
8	M. McDowellFRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS	34		Ford	312	+14.619 3:01'00.127	1.469	7	32
9	C. BriscoeSTEWART-HAAS RACING	14		Ford	312	+14.876 3:01'00.384	0.257	7	30
10	T. Reddick23XI RACING	45		Toyota	312	+15.348 3:01'00.856	0.472	7	46
11	D. HamlinJOE GIBBS RACING	11		Toyota	312	+15.812 3:01'01.320	0.464	7	42
12	N. GragsonSTEWART-HAAS RACING	10		Ford	312	+15.844 3:01'01.352	0.032	7	28
13	D. SuarezTRACKHOUSE RACING	99		Chevrolet	312	+16.817 3:01'02.325	0.973	8	24
14	K. LarsonHENDRICK MOTORSPORTS	5		Chevrolet	312	+17.342 3:01'02.850	0.525	9	23
15	C. HocevarSPIRE MOTORSPORTS	77		Chevrolet	312	+19.060 3:01'04.568	1.718	9	22
16	B. Wallace23XI RACING	23		Toyota	312	+19.398 3:01'04.906	0.338	7	21
17	T. GillilandFRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS	38		Ford	312	+20.569 3:01'06.077	1.171	7	20
18	W. ByronHENDRICK MOTORSPORTS	24		Chevrolet	312	+21.295 3:01'06.803	0.726	7	31
19	C. ElliottHENDRICK MOTORSPORTS	9		Chevrolet	312	+22.966 3:01'08.474	1.671	7	28
20	A. BowmanHENDRICK MOTORSPORTS	48		Chevrolet	312	+23.290 3:01'08.798	0.324	7	17
21	R. Stenhouse JrJTG DAUGHERTY RACING	47		Chevrolet	312	+28.854 3:01'14.362	5.564	7	16
22	K. BuschRICHARD CHILDRESS RACING	8		Chevrolet	311	+1 Lap 3:00'49.125	1 Lap	9	15
23	R. PreeceSTEWART-HAAS RACING	41		Ford	311	+1 Lap 3:00'52.153	3.028	9	14
24	J. HaleyRICK WARE RACING	51		Ford	311	+1 Lap 3:01'12.752	20.599	8	13
25	J. NemechekLEGACY MOTOR CLUB	42		Toyota	311	+1 Lap 3:01'14.829	2.077	7	12
26	J. BerrySTEWART-HAAS RACING	4		Ford	310	+2 Laps 3:00'45.895	1 Lap	8	11
27	H. BurtonWOOD BROTHERS RACING	21		Ford	310	+2 Laps 3:00'46.135	0.240	10	10
28	D. HemricKAULIG RACING	31		Chevrolet	310	+2 Laps 3:01'11.747	25.612	8	9
29	Z. SmithSPIRE MOTORSPORTS	71		Chevrolet	309	+3 Laps 3:00'46.389	1 Lap	8	8
30	K. GralaRICK WARE RACING	15		Ford	309	+3 Laps 3:00'54.238	7.849	9	7
31	E. JonesLEGACY MOTOR CLUB	43		Toyota	305	+7 Laps 3:01'16.173	4 Laps	9	13
32	A. DillonRICHARD CHILDRESS RACING	3		Chevrolet	304	+8 Laps 3:01'01.268	1 Lap	12	5
33	C. LajoieSPIRE MOTORSPORTS	7		Chevrolet	204	+108 Laps 1:59'26.059	100 Laps	8	4
34	J. LoganoTEAM PENSKE	22		Ford	203	+109 Laps 1:59'25.769	1 Lap	6	3
35	D. KrausKAULIG RACING	16		Chevrolet	203	+109 Laps 1:59'25.921	0.152	7	2
36	A. CindricTEAM PENSKE	2		Ford	6	+306 Laps 3'06.606	197 Laps	3	1