Christopher Bell secured his second consecutive NASCAR Cup Series victory on Sunday, crossing the finish line first in a dramatic conclusion to the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas.

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver earned his 11th career Cup Series win after an intense battle in the closing laps against William Byron, Tyler Reddick, and Kyle Busch, delivering what many are calling one of the most exciting road course finishes in NASCAR Cup Series history.

The race’s conclusion featured a nail-biting showdown as Bell, with the advantage of slightly fresher tires, relentlessly pursued Kyle Busch throughout the final green-flag run. With six laps remaining, Bell finally made his move, passing Busch as the Richard Childress Racing driver’s tires began to surrender their grip.

“That was almost a deja vu of last year,” Bell said after the race. “Whenever Kyle 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.”

After claiming the lead, Bell had to fend off challenges from Byron and Reddick in a heart-stopping battle that saw the three drivers racing in extremely close quarters without incident. Bell ultimately held off Byron by 0.433 seconds to take the checkered flag in the season’s first road course event.

William Byron, winner of both the 2025 Daytona 500 and last year’s COTA race, continued his strong start to the season with a second-place finish – his third consecutive top-five result at the Texas road course.

Tyler Reddick maintained his impressive record at COTA with a third-place finish after being heavily involved in the late-race battle for victory. Chase Elliott drove through the field on fresh tires following the race’s final caution to finish fourth, while Kyle Busch, who led a race-high 42 laps, rounded out the top five.

Shane Van Gisbergen showed considerable speed throughout the day, leading 23 laps (second-most behind Busch), but a strategic decision to split the final stage evenly on two sets of tires cost him track position when the race’s final caution appeared.

The race featured 20 lead changes among nine drivers, tying the NASCAR Cup Series record for most lead changes on a road course.

While Bell’s victory took center stage, the highly anticipated Cup Series debut of 18-year-old Connor Zilisch ended in disappointment. The young talent, driving a fourth entry for Trackhouse Racing, faced adversity from the start when a first-lap incident with Denny Hamlin and Ty Gibbs resulted in a cut right-front tire.

Despite the early setback, Zilisch showcased his talent by driving back through the field to as high as 14th position. However, his day came to an abrupt end when he unavoidably collided with spinning teammate Daniel Suarez, effectively ending the afternoon for both Trackhouse Racing drivers.

The incident proved to be an unfortunate conclusion to what had been a promising weekend for Zilisch, who just one day earlier had claimed victory in the Xfinity Series race at the same track.

Following the race at COTA, William Byron now holds a slim two-point lead over Ryan Blaney in the NASCAR Cup Series standings. Tyler Reddick, Christopher Bell, and Chase Elliott complete the top five in points after three races.

The NASCAR Cup Series continues its schedule next weekend at Phoenix Raceway, where drivers will compete in a 312-lap contest at the one-mile track in Avondale, Arizona. Coverage begins Sunday, March 9, at 3:30 PM ET on FS1, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images