For the second straight week, Christopher Bell was there when it mattered most.
Two-time Cup Series champion Kyle Busch had the dominant car Sunday during the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix, but his No. 8 Chevrolet began to falter in the closing laps after a late restart. With five laps to go, Bell — who had a slight tire advantage — was able to maneuver around Busch.
Bell’s job wasn’t done, however. A hard-charging William Byron and Tyler Reddick also got around Busch and were able to close up to the back bumper of Bell’s No. 20 Toyota.
Despite Byron and Reddick’s best efforts, Bell was able to hold on to earn his second consecutive win and the 11th of his Cup Series career.
Bell finished runner-up to Byron at COTA a year ago but bested the two-time Daytona 500 winner on Sunday.
“Whenever Kyle (Busch) was leading, I was trying to be cautious,” Bell told Fox Sports. “I was trying to pass him clean.”
Despite the high intensity of the moment, all four contenders raced each other cleanly.
Byron, Reddick, Chase Elliott and Busch rounded out the top-five, with Shane van Gisbergen, Chris Buescher, Noah Gragson, Alex Bowman and Todd Gilliland completing the top 10.
Bell will go for a third consecutive victory on March 9 when the Cup Series visits Phoenix Raceway. A year ago, Bell won the spring race at Phoenix on a dominant day for Toyota. He’ll likely be one of the favorites in NASCAR’s return to the desert.
