Ryan Blaney and Christopher Bell were, without a doubt, the class of the field in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series event at Phoenix Raceway, but in the end, what separated the No. 12 and the No. 20 when the checkered flag dropped was a difference in strategy.
Bell seemingly had control of the race in the closing stages, after dominating and leading a race-high 176 laps on the afternoon, until a late-race caution for Austin Dillon blowing a right-front tire sent the field back to pit road at Lap 287.
The race-winning strategy call came from championship-winning crew chief Jonathan Hassler, who just put right-side tires on the No. 12 Dent Wizard Ford Mustang Dark Horse, and allowed driver Ryan Blaney to restart from second spot.
Adam Stevens, crew chief for Christopher Bell, elected to go with a four-tire change on the final pit stop, which mired the No. 20 Reser’s Fine Foods Toyota Camry XSE back in eighth on the race’s second-to-last restart, and put the Norman, Oklahoma-native at an insurmountable deficit.
Blaney was able to get clear of Ty Gibbs with 11 laps to go, and scooted away just enough to hold off a late-race charge from Bell, who clearly had fresher tires and a faster racecar at that moment.
It’s the 18th NASCAR Cup Series victory for Ryan Blaney, and his second at Phoenix Raceway (the first of which came in last November’s NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race).
RACE RESULTS: NASCAR Cup Series Straight Talk Wireless 500 (Phoenix)
The events of the final stage in Sunday’s 312-lap contest were nothing compared to the adversity that Blaney faced throughout the day. On two separate pit stops, the Team Penske crew was not able to get all of the wheels tight on the No. 12 — once forcing a second pit stop, and the second time forcing the driver to stop in teammate Joey Logano’s pit box.
On his way back through the field, Blaney passed a whopping 49 cars, getting himself back in position to contend for the victory when it mattered the most.
“No, I mean, just perseverance,” said Blaney post-race. “I mean, everybody on the No. 12 group persevered all day. We had a couple of mistakes that we learned from, got better, and had to come from the back a couple of times. Obviously, the No. 20 was the best car. Jonathan [Hassler] made a great call to take two. We were able to get the lead and hold them off. I don’t know how many more laps I could have held them off. We were able to do that.”
With Josef Newgarden winning Saturday’s NTT IndyCar Series event at Phoenix Raceway, Team Penske was able to sweep the race weekend, as NASCAR and INDYCAR had their worlds collide for the second straight weekend — this time with the Cup Series.
Christopher Bell made a final charge at Blaney, but came up 0.399 seconds short of winning his third consecutive Spring event at the one-mile racetrack. Kyle Larson, despite describing his racecar as slow all weekend long, finished third.
Ty Gibbs faded to fourth on the final run of the race, once again missing out on his first victory in the NASCAR Cup Series. Toyota Racing USA was strong on Sunday, with Denny Hamlin rounding out the top-five for Joe Gibbs Racing.
Bubba Wallace finished sixth after getting damage to the right-side door of the No. 23 Robinhood Toyota Camry XSE in a wreck with Austin Cindric and Anthony Alfredo. William Byron was seventh, also recovering from a flat tire at one point in the event.
Tyler Reddick was unable to continue his streak of NASCAR Cup Series victories, finishing eighth in the No. 45 Jordan Brand Toyota Camry XSE, with Michael McDowell in ninth, and LEGACY MOTOR CLUB’s Erik Jones rounding out the top-10.
The attrition in Sunday’s event did not discriminate, taking out some drivers like Chase Elliott, Joey Logano, and Daniel Suarez, who found themselves inside the top-10 in points, and some that sit outside the top-25 like Chase Briscoe, Josh Berry, Cole Custer, and Austin Cindric.
Anthony Alfredo, filling-in for Alex Bowman in the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, finished 33rd, after getting involved in a wreck while ruinning inside the top-10.
Leaving Phoenix Raceway, Tyler Reddick continues to hold the NASCAR Cup Series points lead by 60 points over Ryan Blaney, who now moves up to second. Bubba Wallace, Chase Elliott, and Shane Van Gisbergen round out the top-five.
The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Las Vegas Motor Speedway next weekend as the West Coast Swing continues in Nevada. Coverage of the event will be on Sunday, March 15 at 4:00 PM ET on FOX Sports 1, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
