The third NASCAR Cup Series race of the season brought just as much excitement as the first two, with Christopher Bell going back-to-back following a down-to-the-wire road-course finish at Circuit of The Americas.
RELATED: Race results | At-track photos
Several drivers delivered solid performances on the new-look road course, while others found themselves in a deficit following the conclusion of the Austin, Texas, contest. Here are three drivers on the upswing — and three more on the opposite end of the spectrum — heading to Phoenix Raceway next Sunday (3:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
THREE UP ⬆️
1. Noah Gragson, No. 4 Front Row Motorsports Ford
Started: 17th
Finished: 8th
What happened: Non-eventful Stages 1 and 2 for the 26-year-old Nevada native — which saw finishes of 33rd and 31st, respectively — were effectively erased during a busy final stage, where the No. 4 driver worked his way into the top five before settling for his first top-10 finish of the season. Such late-race speed will play, and it did as such for Gragson in what amounts to a nice building block to work upon during the early juncture of the season.
What’s next: Phoenix Raceway is next on the docket for Gragson, where the Las Vegas, Nevada, native has three career Cup Series starts, with his previous two resulting in 12th-place finishes. Gragson has yet to lead a lap at the 1-mile Arizona facility.
2. Chris Buescher, No. 17 RFK Racing Ford
Started: 24th
Finished: 7th
What happened: Buescher continued to put on a road-course clinic within the Ford camp, and the Prosper, Texas, native didn’t disappoint at Austin. Despite finishing outside the top 15 in Stages 1 and 2 (with 18th-place results in both), the 32-year-old driver strategically worked his way inside the top 10 during the race’s final stage, resulting in another top 10 on a left-and-right track. Buescher’s 15th road-course top 10 in 18 Next Gen road-course contests leads all drivers.
What’s next: In 18 career Cup starts at Phoenix, Buescher possesses only four top 10s and 20 laps led. However, there are positives: Buescher has three consecutive finishes inside the top 10 in the desert dating back to November 2023, and 18 of his 20 laps led have come during that span as well (November 2023).
3. Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Started: 21st
Finished: 9th
What happened: It was a grind-it-out performance from Bowman, with the No. 48 Chevrolet spinning from 30th in Turn 12 on Lap 56. Additionally, Bowman was also penalized on two separate occasions for shortcutting turns on the 2.4-mile layout (Laps 51, 72). Instead, Bowman and the No. 48 camp capitalized on a handful of late-race cautions to finish the day with a top 10.
What’s next: It’s been a difficult showing for Bowman at Phoenix, with the 31-year-old tallying only two top-10 finishes in 19 career Cup Series races at his hometown short track. His lone two finishes inside the top 10 came in 2016 and 2023, so the No. 48 team will have its work cut out next weekend. Then again, after COTA’s performance, perhaps momentum once again shifts in the No. 48’s favor.
THREE DOWN ⬇️
1. Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Started: 7th
Finished: 32nd
What happened: Issue after issue plagued Larson and the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports team Sunday. A penalty for shortcutting Turn 3 while running 8th on Lap 33 was just the start, with the No. 5 machine later losing its right-front wheel, forcing Larson to pit road and resulting in a two-lap penalty. A Turn 20 spin on Lap 85 only added to the litany of issues Larson and the No. 5 team dealt with during the 95-lap affair.
What’s next: Larson next treks out west to Phoenix, where the desert has netted an oasis of positive finishes for the 32-year-old over the years. In 21 career Cup starts at Phoenix, Larson possesses one win, nine top fives, 13 top 10s and 395 laps led, with only two finishes outside the top 10 in the last 12 Cup races there.
2. Daniel Suárez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Started: 5th
Finished: 36th
What happened: Suárez has put together solid performances on road courses in the past — his first career Cup victory came in 2022 at Sonoma Raceway. COTA in 2025, however, did not yield a similar result as Suárez was involved in a Lap 50 incident, with a Turn 19 spin and contact with Trackhouse Racing teammate Connor Zilisch eventually ending the No. 99’s day.
What’s next: Phoenix is next for Suárez and the No. 99 team, where the Mexico native has four career top-10 finishes among 16 Cup Series starts. Suárez finished 11th (fall, 2023), 13th (spring, 2024) and 10th (fall, 2024) in the last three Phoenix Cup contests.
3. AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
Started: 12th
Finished: 30th
What happened: At first glance, it looked like Allmendinger was in contention for a possible race victory following 10th- and sixth-place finishes in Stages 1 and 2, respectively. However, after pitting from second on Lap 71, Allmendinger’s No. 16 Chevrolet couldn’t make up the difference, resulting in a top-30 result — a far cry from what looked like a machine with plenty of capability of finding Victory Lane.
What’s next: Allmendinger holds only two top-10 finishes at Phoenix among 23 Cup starts at the track, with both coming in 2011. Allmendinger will perhaps lean on his Xfinity Series track record at the course for a dose of positive momentum; in eight career Xfinity Series starts at Phoenix, Allmendinger has four career top 10s, including a ninth-place result in the 2024 season finale.
