C. Bell Wins at COTA, Byron 2nd, and holds P1 in GFT AI Driver Rankings
5 March 2025
By Bob Francis, Managing Editor
Go Full Throttle Racing News
AUSTIN, TEXAS — Sunday was year 5 of NASCAR at COTA, and Go Full Throttle Racing News has been there for four of these exciting road course races on the F1-inspired Circuit of the Americas.
Practice and Qualifying data pointed to Tyler Reddick, winner of the 2023 race at COTA, as the favorite. Reddick won the pole and looked to be the favorite going into Sunday’s EchoPark Automotive GP. Reddick’s 23XI Racing teammate Bubba Wallace was P2. Following the two Toyotas were 6 cars from the Chevrolet camp: Elliott, Hocevar, Suarez, SVG, Larson, and Busch.
Race Summary:
The EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at COTA saw Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing secure his second consecutive victory of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season. Bell emerged victorious after a thrilling late-race battle, overtaking Kyle Busch with five laps remaining and holding off a charging William Byron to win by a margin of 0.433 seconds. The race, the first road course event of the season, featured a new, shorter 2.356-mile layout of the Circuit of the Americas track, which contributed to intense racing action and strategic battles.
Kyle Busch, who led a race-high 42 laps, appeared poised to end his 60-race winless streak but faded to fifth after his tires wore down in the final stages. William Byron, the Daytona 500 winner, finished second, while Tyler Reddick, the 2023 COTA winner, took third. The top five was rounded out by Chase Elliott in fourth and Busch in fifth.
Other highlights included Ryan Preece winning Stage 2 and Connor Zilisch’s Cup Series debut ending early due to a Lap 50 crash with teammate Daniel Suárez. Post-race inspections confirmed Bell’s win, with no issues reported, though two cars were slated for further review at NASCAR’s R&D Center. The event marked the third race of the 2025 season, with Bell becoming the first driver to win back-to-back races, solidifying his strong start to the year. The Cup Series now shifts focus to the upcoming Shriners Children’s 500 at Phoenix Raceway on March 9.
Comeback of the day
Chase Elliott (№9 Napa Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports) tangled with a few cars in Turn 1 of lap 1 and incurred damage to the Left Rear suspension. The 9 Crew made repairs on pit row and Elliott battled all the way back to finish 4th.
Updated GFT AI NASCAR Driver Rankings after COTA and Penalty Report
With the win, C Bell jumps 11 spots in our AI ranking model to P3, and William Byron, who finished 2nd at COTA, holds onto the top spot holding P1 again this week. The biggest mover this week is SVG who moves up 22 spots to P12 for Trackhouse 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 190 points in NASCAR Fantasy Live- TMD NASCAR League play. After three weeks the GFT AI Bot ranks just outside the Top 10% at 10.34% against all players in the league. As a reminder, the GFT AI Race Prediction “AI 1” bot finished 2024 outperforming 90% of all players.
UP NEXT: PHOENIX! Shriners Children’s 500
Sunday, Mar. 9 3:30 PM ET at Phoenix Raceway
Avondale, Arizona- 312 laps / 312 miles
