Christopher Bell wins third consecutive in Cup, outdueling Denny Hamlin at Phoenix Raceway

Christopher Bell made history Sunday at Phoenix Raceway, outdueling teammate Denny Hamlin to become the first Cup driver to win three consecutive races in the Next Gen era.

Bell held off Hamlin on a two-lap restart shootout that ended the race on the 1-mile oval. Kyle Larson, the most recent driver to win three in a row in 2021, finished third, followed by Josh Berry and Chris Buescher.

Bell beat Hamlin by 0.049 seconds, the second-closest Cup finish in Phoenix Raceway history. The Joe Gibbs Racing star's No. 20 Toyota also was in victory lane the past two weeks at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Circuit of the Americas.

Bell chose the inside lane for the final restart (which was set up by a crash involving JGR driver Ty Gibbs), and Hamlin held the lead at the white flag. But Bell managed to recapture first during the final circuit for his 12th career victory.

Sunday's race marked the Phoenix debut for prime and option tires, which added another layer of strategy as teams alternated between two compounds with varying degrees of durability and speed.

Four-time IMSA winner and Indy 500 veteran Katherine Legge, the first woman to start a Cup race in more than seven years, finished 30th in her NASCAR Cup debut with Live Fast Motorsports.

STORY WILL BE UPDATED

Stage 1 winner: William Byron

Stage 2 winner: Christohper Bell

Next: Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Sunday, March 16, 3:30 p.m. ET, FS1