Christopher Bell snapped NASCAR’s longest streak without a back-to-back winner with his victory at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) while GR Supras swept both IMSA races at the Texas circuit.
NASCAR
Bell won the NASCAR Cup Series race at COTA on Sunday, his second consecutive victory after last weekend’s Atlanta triumph. Bell battled for the win coming down the stretch in the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 Toyota Camry XSE and made the race-winning pass with five laps to go en route to victory lane. It marks his 11th career victory and his third on a road course.
“That was almost a deja vu of last year. I had the track position that time,” said Bell, following the race. “Man, these road course races are just so much fun. Whenever Kyle (Busch) was leading, I was just trying to be so cautious. Obviously, we know what happened last year. I didn't want that to happen. I wanted to pass him clean. He was just doing such a good job at running his race, and he could get off the corners just good enough that I couldn't get inside of him. But there I started peeking a nose, and he bobbled and allowed me to get out front. Whenever I did, I'm, like, ‘Okay, just don't beat yourself.’ Those were about the five or six sloppiest laps I've ever run. Just so happy for these guys right here. They've been on me hard about winning with them. Just super proud for everyone on this DeWalt No. 20 team. We didn't count last week. Last week was a speedway. We didn't have that one circled. We definitely had this one circled. I'm ready to keep adding to it.”
- Christopher Bell
Tyler Reddick started on the pole and led twice for nine laps (of 95) early in the race and was in the mix in the final laps before crossing the finish line in third place, marking his fifth top-10 result at COTA. 23XI Racing teammate Bubba Wallace won the first stage, marking his first career stage win at a road course.
In Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race, Joe Gibbs Racing drivers Taylor Gray (seventh) and William Sawalich (ninth) earned top 10 finishes at COTA for Toyota.
“I feel like we really struggled the first three quarters of the race just being really tight everywhere and just kept working all day,” said Gray. “I can’t thank my Joe Gibbs Racing guys enough. They kept working on the Operation 300 Toyota GR Supra all day and we never gave up. I feel like we got the car okay there at the end and unfortunately, we got in a little bit of a tight fuel spot and started having to save quite a bit of fuel and gave up quite a bit of track position there. And, then whenever I’d go to take back off, I just didn’t really have any rear grip to support me in going fast. Just gotta regroup and refocus toward Phoenix and get after it.”
- Taylor Gray
GT4
RAFA Racing swept the IMSA VP Racing Challenge races at COTA with GR Supra GT4 EVO2 cars winning in the GSX class in both races on Saturday. Kiko Porto was victorious in race 1 and his teammate Ian Porter won the second race. Supras have swept the first four races of the season with Porto earning three of those victories.
LATE MODELS
Toyota Development Driver Jade Avedisian won in her CARS Tour Pro Late Model debut at New River All American Speedway. With the victory, the 18-year-old is the first female winner in any CARS Tour event.
What’s Next
NASCAR heads west to Phoenix Raceway for three races this weekend. The ARCA Menards Series will kick off the action on Friday, March 7 at 8:00 p.m. ET on FS1. The NASCAR Xfinity Series follows on Saturday, March 8 on the CW at 5:00 p.m. ET with the Cup Series racing on Sunday, March 9 at 3:30 p.m. ET on FS1. NHRA will kick off their season at Gainesville Raceway with the finals on Sunday, March 9 on FS1 at 7:00 p.m. ET.