Bell Wins Phoenix for 3rd consecutive victory, Byron holds P1 in GFT AI Driver Rankings
9 March 2025
By Bob Francis, Managing Editor
Go Full Throttle Racing News
AVONDALE, AZ — The NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix Raceway on March 9, 2025, saw Christopher Bell secure his third consecutive victory of the season in the Shriners Children’s 500. Bell edged out his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin by a mere 0.049 seconds in a thrilling photo finish, marking one of the closest finishes in Phoenix history. Bell became the first driver in the Next Gen era (since 2022) to win three straight races.
Hendrick Motorsports William Byron was fastest in qualifying earning the pole. Byron and his HMS teammate Kyle Larson won the first two stages, but Bell’s late-race strategy and restart abilities positioned him for the win. Hamlin, despite the loss, celebrated a strong 1–2 finish for Joe Gibbs Racing.
The race, enhanced by Goodyear’s option tires, featured intense battles for position and unique new tire strategy calls by crew chiefs. Other drivers challenging for the win were Josh Berry and Chris Buescher rounding out the top five. Bell’s win in Phoenix marks his 3rd consecutive victory in four races (Feb 20 Atlanta, Mar 2 COTA, Mar 9 Phoenix).
Top 10 Finishers
Winners Quote:
Christopher Bell at the winning driver press conference …
Question from NASCAR Reporter Jonathan Fjeld: “Has racing dirt helped? Bell’s answer: “Yes, it helped a lot. I should go race more dirt.”
Updated GFT AI NASCAR Driver Rankings after Phoenix and Penalty Report
With the win, C Bell jumps 1 spot in our AI ranking model to P2, and William Byron, who finished 6th at Phoenix, holds onto P1 again this week after collecting the Pole, winning Stage 1, and grabbing 3rd in Stage 2. The biggest mover this week is Josh Berry who moves up 11 spots to P13 for Wood Brothers Racing.
GFT BOX SCORES
GFT AI RACE PREDICTION MODEL BOX SCORE
NASCAR Fantasy Live, TMD NASCAR League
The GFT AI Race Prediction Model delivered a season-high 228 points and a 32nd-place ranking in NASCAR Fantasy Live- TMD NASCAR League play for the Phoenix race. After four weeks, the GFT AI Bot ranks in the top 1% at 0.60% against all players (5,275) in the league. As a reminder, the GFT AI Race Prediction “AI 1” bot finished 2024 outperforming 90% of all players.
UP NEXT:
Sunday, Mar. 16 3:30 PM EST ET
Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube
Las Vegas, Nevada- 267 laps / 400.5 miles
