Following Christopher Bell's third consecutive win on Sunday at Phoenix Raceway, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver has got off to an exceptional start to the 2025 season. His three wins have come at vastly different tracks (Atlanta, COTA, Phoenix).
By holding off teammate Denny Hamlin in the second-closest finish in the track's history, Bell picked up his 12th career win on Sunday. Hendrick Motorsports' Kyle Larson was third, Wood Brothers Racing's Josh Berry was fourth and RFK Racing's Chris Buescher was fifth. Daytona 500 winner William Byron, along with Alex Bowman, Kyle Busch, Zane Smith and Chase Elliott, completed the top 10.
Updated Cup Series standings after Shriners Children's 500 at Phoenix
Even though Bell has three straight wins, his 31st-place finish in the Daytona 500 is enough to keep him from the top spot in the NASCAR Cup Series standings after Phoenix. With his third top 10 in four races, Byron still holds the top spot with 165 points. Bell moves up to second (-13) while Tyler Reddick is third (-22), Ryan Blaney falls down to fourth (-29) and Elliott is fifth (-41). Bowman (-48), Hamlin (-55), Busch (-55), Joey Logano (-55) and Buescher (-56) complete the top 10.
Notable drivers outside the top 10 in points after four races include Larson (11th, -57), Bubba Wallace (12th, -63), Ross Chastain (16th, -77), Chase Briscoe (20th, -91), Brad Keselowski (33rd, -118) and Ty Gibbs (34th, -124). Keep in mind, a win will most likely guarantee a driver a playoff spot with 16 spots up for grabs. Currently, Byron and Bell are the only two winners this season. As of now, Chastain holds the 16th and final spot for postseason eligibility by five points over Todd Gilliland. Obviously, things are going to change, but that is the position drivers currently find themselves in after Phoenix.
One thing to keep in mind is the importance of both regular-season points standings and playoff standings. While drivers with wins vault to the top of the points standings and guarantee themselves a playoff spot, assuming there are no more than 16 winners, the overall points are equally important. The regular-season champion by season's end will earn an additional 15 playoff points, second-place will get 10 and drivers third-10th in points will receive points in descending order all the way down to one point for 10th.