Winners, losers from NASCAR Cup race at COTA won by Christopher Bell
Today at 06:00 AM
A look at the winners and losers from Sunday's Cup race at Circuit of the Americas.
WINNERS
Christopher Bell — Goes back-to-back, following his Atlanta win with a victory at COTA. He becomes the first driver since 2018 to win two of the first three races of the season. Said Bell: "It's amazing to be sitting here with … 10 playoff bonus points. We're in a pretty good spot right now."
William Byron — Daytona 500 winner finished second at COTA and took the points lead. He has finished second or better in two of the first three races of the season. In the last 10 races, dating back to last year's playoff race, Byron has one win, two runner-up results, seven top-five finishes and nine top 10s.
Tyler Reddick — He finished third at COTA, giving him two top-three finishes in the first three races of the season.
Chase Elliott — He was spun in the first corner of the first lap by Ross Chastain and rallied to finish fourth to score his first top 10 of the season.
Kyle Busch — While his winless streak extends to 60 races, he led a race-high 42 laps and finished fifth. That gives him back-to-back top 10s for the first time since last September. He also scored a race-high 46 points.
Noah Gragson — His eighth-place finish snapped a streak of 16 consecutive races without a top 10. It also was his first top 10 in a Cup road course race.
LOSERS
Ty Gibbs — He was running in the top 15 when he was hit by teammate Chase Briscoe and spun, losing all his track position. Gibbs finished 34th. He has finished 30th or worse in two of three races this year and in seven of his last eight starts, dating back to last year. Gibbs is 35th in points after three races.
Daniel Suarez — He spun on his own and teammate Connor Zilisch, making his Cup debut, slammed into him, ending the race for both. Suarez finished 36th. He finished 33rd at Atlanta the previous race.
Austin Dillon — He got turned by Denny Hamlin when Hamlin locked his brakes. Dillon was running in the top 20 at the time but was eliminated by the crash, finishing a season-worst 35th.
