Austin, Texas — Christopher Bell has secured his second consecutive road course victory after passing Kyle Busch with five laps remaining in NASCAR’s first event of the season on Sunday at the Circuit of the Americas.
Bell took the lead from Busch and successfully defended it against a hard-charging William Byron, holding off the Daytona 500 winner to claim his 11th career win. The Oklahoma driver credited his team for their strategy, saying “I just said, ‘Don’t beat yourself.'”
Kyle Busch struggled on the road course, fading to fifth place after a dominant stint earlier in the race, marking his 60th consecutive start without a victory. Despite this, Busch praised Bell’s driving, saying he ran him hard.
William Byron also battled for position, but admitted that Bell was difficult to pass due to their consistent racing style. The Hendrick Motorsports driver made up 17 positions in the final stage but fell short of potentially winning the event.
The road course victory marks the fourth consecutive season for Bell as a multiple-race winner. His crew chief, Adam Stevens, expressed confidence in the team’s chances at every track, stating “We don’t think there’s a track that we go to that we don’t have a chance to win.”
Chase Elliott’s disappointment was evident after his race was thwarted by a bump from teammate Ross Chastain. The Hendrick Motorsports driver had started third but struggled early before making up ground in the final stages.
NASCAR will need to decide whether to return to Austin for the 2026 season, as the track continues to prove popular with drivers and fans alike. Speedway Motorsports plans to assess ticket sales and fan feedback before discussing the issue with NASCAR.
Source: https://www.espn.com/racing/story/_/id/44086454/christopher-bell-rallies-posts-2nd-straight-nascar-victory