Ring the CBell!

Photo: Chris Graythen/Getty Images

Shriners Children 500:

Christopher Bell waxed the field at the end of stage 2 and the end of the race on Sunday at Phoenix Raceway; taking the win in the Shriners Children 500 after charging to the front on numerous occasions throughout the race. Bell, who was seeking redemption at Phoenix after a brake failure cost him a chance at the Championship there in November, was clearly the fastest car from the drop of the green flag and even though he had a lackluster qualifying effort and pit road struggles, he used his car's speed and his determination to fight he was way to the lead for 50 laps, including the final circuit. Bell's victory is his seventh Cup Series victory all coming on different tracks.

Bell's victory should come as no surprise as the weekend played out through practice and qualifying. While I myself thought Chevy would continue their 2024 domination, or maybe Ryan Blaney would put Ford in victory lane since he has been so good there in the NextGen car, Toyota came to play this weekend. Toyota led all but 14 laps of the race (thanks Todd Gilliland for your service for 14 circuits), Denny Hamlin took the pole, and five Toyota drivers led 50 laps in the race (all four JGR cars included, a first in NASCAR history according to the folks at NASCAR). Further, Bell was fast in Phoenix last November, and likely would have given Ryan Blaney fits for the title had he not had a brake rotor fail early in the race ending his day. And add on that CBell is a hell of a wheelman driving for one of the more dominant teams in the garage. This victory virtually locks in his playoff spot and automatically makes him title threat number 1 after his performance on Sunday.

As for the race itself: there was a lot of anticipation for Sunday's race as the new short-track/road course package for the NextGen car debuted. And it did not blow any of us away. It could be argued that this is standard for a Phoenix race and that is partially true. It could be argued that the real test will be Martinsville and Richmond, true short tracks, and that is also a factual statement. And it could be argued that it was marginally better than previous Phoenix races so surely it is better and will get better over time, and this a strong stance to take and has some truth albeit I am not sold. I am of the mind that the real test will be the true short tracks and COTA. That's when I will reserve full judgement for this package. And if it fails, then I do hope NASCAR at least tries higher horsepower although Tyler Reddick wasn't sure if even an extra 100+ horsepower will help. I'm not 100 percent sure what the answer is, but will have a better idea in a month or so after some more races. This, however, does not take away that this was not the most exciting race as Toyota dominated and CBell ran away with the win late in the race. It also does not take away that Phoenix should not be the championship race - I still hope that goes back to Homestead in 2025 and beyond.

We now move on to Bristol Motor Speedway this upcoming weekend. This being their first Spring race on the concrete since 2020 as they have moved on from the Bristol Dirt experience (one I did not entirely hate and hope to see again in the future). Even though it sounds like a plurality of NASCAR fans are excited about this move, we will keep an eye on attendance and if Bristol can deliver exceptional racing in the Spring once again to match the excitement of their Bristol Night race in the playoffs. Tune into Fox on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. to watch the Food City 500!

Bristol Picks:

Trucks - Kyle Busch

Xfinity - Off

Cup - Kyle Larson