The NASCAR Cup Series’ showing at the notorious Formula 1 track, Circuit of the Americas, never disappoints and this past Sunday proved that even with the shorter configuration of the Austin, Texas Road Course, the track has a solidified spot on the schedule for years to come. In a race that’s been chaotic every year since it first came on the schedule in 2021, the 2025 edition of this event had it all.
The Green Flag dropped and before the field could reach the Start/Finish line, there was already drama throughout the field, as everyone began slicing and dicing throughout the pack. After causing controversy the prior weekend at Atlanta, Carson Hocevar made an aggressive move, nudging the bumper of Bubba Wallace’s #23 Mobil 1 Toyota, literally seconds before Ross Chastain spun Chase Elliott going into Turn 1. Elliott promised payback to Chastain on the radio, unhappy with the antics of the Trackhouse Racing driver. The mess was far from over, however, as Connor Zilisch, who was making his Cup Series debut, had a tire go down, while Denny Hamlin’s Toyota collected damage on his right front.
On Lap 4, Ty Dillon was spun by Austin Cindric, adding onto the chaos and calamity of the start of this race. Cindric would later be docked 50 points for this, rather than being suspended like Bubba Wallace at Las Vegas in 2022 and Chase Elliott at Charlotte in 2023.
Throughout Stage 1, there was a lot of action without major contact, including Tyler Reddick leading a great portion of the stage, prior to Shane van Gisbergen catching him on Lap 9. Kyle Busch passed Reddick a lap later, as Busch was hungry for his first win since 2023. Most of those up front pitted, including Busch, Reddick and van Gisbergen, which ultimately led to Bubba Wallace winning Stage 1, collecting a Playoff Point and ten Championship Points. Rounding out the Top-5 respectively were Joey Logano, van Gisbergen, Busch, and Elliott, rebounding from his earlier spin.
Wallace and Logano pitted before the start of Stage 2, allowing Busch and van Gisbergen to lead, coming to the Green. SVG prevailed, prior to Busch making a clean pass on Lap 27. Throughout the rest of the pack, a lot of drivers fought for real estate, putting themselves in position for more valuable Stage Points. Kyle Larson lost his right front tire during Green Flag Pitstops, but NASCAR didn’t immediately throw the caution. Ryan Preece collected his second-career Stage win and first since Martinsville 2023. Not far behind him were Ryan Blaney, Michael McDowell, Busch and van Gisbergen, respectively.
The final stage had a lot of drama, as Trackhouse Racing teammates, Daniel Suarez and Connor Zilisch’s days would end, after Suarez spun out in Turn 19. Zilisch slammed into Suarez after he couldn’t see his teammate through the smoke, essentially ending both of their days. Zilisch ended up in the tire barrier and was credited with a last-place finish in his first ever Cup Series race, but admitted he had fun and learned a lot.
When the Green Flag came back out on Lap 54, Christopher Bell came to play. Last week’s winner found himself in the top-3 with 40-to-go and knew his toughest competition would be Kyle Busch. With Bell riding on the momentum of his Atlanta win, he was hungry to prove to the entire field that he’s the early favorite to be this year’s Champion. Pit strategy had everyone on a different accord, before Denny Hamlin drove into Austin Dillon on Lap 79. NASCAR threw out the caution, as Dillon got stuck in the gravel and needed the officials to tow him out.
The final restart would be a 13-lap dash to the finish, with Daytona 500 winner, William Byron on the outside and Busch on the inside. Shane van Gisbergen tried to pass in the middle, coming out of Turn 1, but was unsuccessful. With the laps winding down, Bell got desperate, attempting to pass Busch going into Turn 1 with nine laps remaining, overdriving the Turn. Busch got away from him for the time being, until Bell got around Busch on Lap 89. For the last five laps, It ended up being Bell, Byron, Reddick and Busch battling it out, with Bell prevailing, en-route to his second win in a row.
The EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix had another memorable finish, as the four-way battle for the win will go down as a classic NASCAR Cup Series finish that’ll be shown in highlight reels for years to come. Christopher Bell now sits proudly atop the Playoff Standings with two wins and he looks to go three-in-a-row at a track he’s notoriously good at, Phoenix Raceway. The Shriners Children’s 500 will take place Sunday at 3:30 PM EST on FOX and Bell looks to be the guy to beat, once again.
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