{"id":31255,"date":"2025-03-09T23:44:25","date_gmt":"2025-03-10T03:44:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/?p=31255"},"modified":"2025-03-09T23:44:25","modified_gmt":"2025-03-10T03:44:25","slug":"three-peat-for-bell-as-tire-strategy-highlights-shriners-childrens-400-at-phoenix","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2025\/03\/09\/three-peat-for-bell-as-tire-strategy-highlights-shriners-childrens-400-at-phoenix\/","title":{"rendered":"Three-Peat for Bell, As Tire Strategy Highlights Shriners Children&#8217;s 400 at Phoenix"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2025\/03\/07\/nascar-cup-series-at-phoenix-raceway-preview\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Shriners Children&#8217;s 400<\/a> at Phoenix Raceway had plenty of storylines: Two tire compounds, the standard yellow Goodyear, and the alternate red softer tire. Could <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2025\/03\/02\/nascar-cup-series-at-cota-highlighted-by-rules-inconsistency-bell-victory\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Christopher Bell<\/a> continue his hot streak? The answer to both storylines is yes. Did the tires deliver some interesting strategy calls? Yes. What about Bell? He certainly proved why he&#8217;s a Championship Contender.<\/p>\n<p>Now we have to talk about the track itself. Phoenix Raceway is what it is. The racing is only interesting when they restart, as cars fan out everywhere, or if cars are on two different tires. Other than that, it&#8217;s a stinker. A late caution gave another close finish, but that doesn&#8217;t make up for a snooze of a race.<\/p>\n<h2>Three-Peat for Bell, As Tire Strategy, Highlights Shriners Children&#8217;s 400 at Phoenix<\/h2>\n<p>It didn&#8217;t take very long for some craziness to happen in the race. Katherine Legge, the first female to race in the Cup Series since Danica Patrick in 2018, spun out on lap five, bringing out an early yellow. The early yellow certainly made things interesting, as did Joey Logano getting busted for a restart violation early in the race.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">&quot;NO WAY!&quot;- Joey Logano<\/p>\n<p>Here&#39;s a look at the restart that resulted in a pass-through penalty for the No. 22 car. <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Lmb3Q8Mr2b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/Lmb3Q8Mr2b<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/xXT7ECTHSK\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/xXT7ECTHSK<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NASCARONFOX\/status\/1898828024495395277?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">March 9, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>William Byron, who sat on the pole, took advantage of Logano&#8217;s mess up, and it gave Byron the top spot to win stage one. But well before the stage ended, the wild restarts caused a multi-car incident on the backstretch as Noah Gragson, Todd Gilliland, Ricky Stenhouse Jr, and Cole Custer.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Racing four wide at a place like <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/phoenixraceway?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@phoenixraceway<\/a> never ends well. <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/4mDdfgENzn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/4mDdfgENzn<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; NASCAR (@NASCAR) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NASCAR\/status\/1898825348093014303?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">March 9, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<h3>Give Me The Reds<\/h3>\n<p>The red tires were quickly starting to show how much of an impact they could make as plenty of drivers started using them to get to the front. Examples include Ryan Preece, who was one of the first to switch to the alternate, and he raced from 33rd to the front in a short amount of time. Logano also used the tires to get back into the picture.<\/p>\n<p>It quickly became clear that having the reds was going to benefit closer to the end, especially when the teams only had two sets of those tires. As Logano rallied back to the front in a battle with Christopher Bell, one of the biggest wrecks seen at Phoenix in some time happened along the backstretch as Chase Briscoe and others made contact.<\/p>\n<p>In a day that started out promising for Spire Motorsports&#8217; Carson Hocevar and Justin Haley, who both qualified in the Top 10, they were both quickly knocked out in the huge wreck during stage two.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Multiple cars get together and there&#39;s trouble on the backstretch! <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/R21T7rf3Sl\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/R21T7rf3Sl<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; NASCAR (@NASCAR) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NASCAR\/status\/1898839399896670703?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">March 9, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>By that time, Bell started to show that he was the man to beat. He used the regular tires to outlast Logano in stage two, as the reds stabilized with the normal tires. It was also by that time, that it was becoming more and more clear that Christopher was well on his way to his third-straight win.<\/p>\n<p>Some late cautions certainly tried to get in the way, as mechanical issues started presenting themselves late in the running. Ryan Blaney suffered a blown engine in the race&#8217;s closing laps. Along with break failures for both Bubba Wallace and Ty Gibbs, it set up a very interesting three-lap dash, with everyone without fresh reds.<\/p>\n<p>Bell held off Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson for the second-closest finish in Phoenix Raceway history.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">.<a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CBellRacing?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@CBellRacing<\/a> holds off a hard-charging <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/dennyhamlin?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@dennyhamlin<\/a> to win at <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/phoenixraceway?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@phoenixraceway<\/a>! <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/x70NvrgC5Z\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/x70NvrgC5Z<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; NASCAR (@NASCAR) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NASCAR\/status\/1898874405289111881?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">March 9, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><strong>READ MORE:<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2025\/03\/02\/nascar-cup-series-at-cota-highlighted-by-rules-inconsistency-bell-victory\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">NASCAR Cup Series at COTA Highlighted by Rules Inconsistency, Bell Victory<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h3>NASCAR Says Tires Worked Great<\/h3>\n<p>So were the tires a success? NASCAR says yes. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nascar.com\/news-media\/2025\/03\/09\/ncs-phoenix-recap\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">According to Holly Cain from NASCAR.com<\/a>, Goodyear&#8217;s NASCAR project manager Mark Kato was impressed by the results of the tires on Sunday.<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; Everything went according to plan at Phoenix, and the option tire worked very well,&#8221; Kato said. &#8220;It gave teams a chance to vary their strategies and maximize their effectiveness to gain track position over teams that were on primary tires. Teams were also able to manage their options once they got track position and make them last longer into a run. Overall, we were very happy with the balance and strategy of the prime\/option tire setup and how it added to the racing all day.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Great news on the tire, but it doesn&#8217;t mean Phoenix was that great of a race. It&#8217;s not the tire; it&#8217;s the track and the car, in my opinion.<\/p>\n<h3>Bell Eyeing History<\/h3>\n<p>Christopher Bell is certainly eyeing some major history. He&#8217;s now won three of the first four races, and the series heads to Las Vegas next. A track where he dominated the Spring race in 2024, only to finish second. Boy, he&#8217;s looking hot right now, and is it hard not to think he can&#8217;t go win a fourth in a row? If he can do it, he&#8217;d be the first to win four of the first five races in a season since 1992, when Bill Elliott did it.<\/p>\n<p>William Byron holds the points lead by 13 points over Bell heading to Vegas, while the likes of Ty Gibbs and Chase Briscoe continue to struggle. Not to mention, defending series champion Joey Logano has yet to finish in the Top 10.<\/p>\n<p>See ya in the Fall, Phoenix.<\/p>\n<p><strong>READ NEXT:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2025\/03\/09\/aric-almirola-wins-xfinity-series-race-at-phoenix-in-overtime\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Aric Almirola Wins Xfinity Series Race at Phoenix in Overtime<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Featured Image Credit: Chris Graythen, Getty Images. 3\/9\/2025<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Shriners Children&#8217;s 400 at Phoenix Raceway had plenty of storylines: Two tire compounds, the standard yellow Goodyear, and the alternate red softer tire. Could Christopher Bell continue his hot streak? The answer to both storylines is yes. Did the tires deliver some interesting strategy calls? Yes. What about Bell? He certainly proved why he&#8217;s [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5169,"featured_media":31261,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2,5,1664],"tags":[390,242,371,1323,1171,60],"class_list":["post-31255","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-nascar","category-nascar-cup-series","tag-christopher-bell","tag-joey-logano","tag-nascar-cup-series","tag-phoenix-raceway","tag-tire-strategy","tag-william-byron"],"modified_by":"Hayden Murdock","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31255","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5169"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31255"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31255\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31262,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31255\/revisions\/31262"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31255"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31255"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31255"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}