Matt Johnson
The NASCAR Cup Series season continued on Sunday afternoon with the Straight Talk Wireless 500 at Phoenix Raceway, an opportunity for some of the top teams to rebound after a rough start. What we got was a very good race, with a few drivers making headlines for one reason or another.
Let’s dive into our winners and losers from the NASCAR race today at Phoenix.
Winner: Ryan Blaney’s Remarkable Day
Ryan Blaney’s tire changers did him no favors on Sunday. It didn’t matter for the driver with the iconic mustache. Twice working his way from the back of the field after winning Stage 1, Blaney passed 49 cars at Phoenix Raceway. He might’ve only had the second-best car on the day, but he certainly overcame the most of any driver on the field. Blaney gets his first win of the season, also his first as a father, vaulting himself to second in the standings.
Related: NASCAR Results Today Phoenix, NASCAR Stage Results Today
Loser: Kyle Larson’s Ugly Start
Phoenix Raceway had been great to Kyle Larson and the No. 5 team coming into the NASCAR race today. He won the championship back in November and he had a top-10 finish in six of his last seven races here, including five inside the top four. After starting second in the Straight Talk Wireless 500, things immediately went south. Larson reported the car was very loose and it took no time at all for it to start dropping back in the field, ultimately finishing Stage 1 in 13th place. If that wasn’t bad enough, he was caught speeding on pit lane and dropped to the rear of the field. Larson fought his way back to finish nine on Stage 2 (2 points), but then an issue on pit road dropped him five spots to 13th to start the final stage. Remarkably, in parts thanks to 11 spots gained on pit stops, Larson finished third. There’s just a tiny bit of what could’ve been for the No. 5 team.
Related: NASCAR Points Standings Today, Cup Series Points Leaders after Phoenix
Winner: Denny Hamlin’s Redemption in Return to Phoenix
Among the many things that make Denny Hamlin great is his ability to compartmentalize and put things behind him. Returning to Phoenix for the first time since his heartbreaking championship loss, the future Hall of Famer had a strong day. He finished with the third-most stage points (15) in Phoenix, which he needed since he entered the NASCAR race today 23rd in points. He kept himself in the top 10 all day and now has top-10 finishes in consecutive races, all with a season-high in points accrued and his first top-five of the year. The arrow is pointing up on Hamlin’s season and a win feels right around the corner.
Loser: Chase Briscoe’s Rough Spring Rolls On
Chase Briscoe’s first season in the No. 19 car with Joe Gibbs Racing was outstanding. This year has been the exact opposite. Briscoe’s 2026 campaign opened with a 36th-place finish at the Daytona 500, picking up 2 points, thanks to bad fortune with getting caught in a wreck. It seemed like he rebounded at Atlanta, snagging 43 points and finishing second. Sadly, misfortune returned to the No. 19 squad. While he raced well at COTA, an issue with the car resulted in him finishing last (37th). Briscoe needed a strong points day at Phoenix, but instead he suffered a hard crash into the wall after feeling vibrations in the car and then a tire blowing. He’s finished 36th or worse in three of the four points races this season.
Winner: Shane van Gisbergen Has Figured Out Ovals
Shane van Gisbergen is no longer just a road-course specialist. Twice on Sunday at Phoenix, the No. 97 car brought out the caution. The first time was because of a blown tire, and the second occurred because he got a little loose right before Austin Dillon made contact with him, causing the car to spin out. If that had happened last year at this track, SVG would’ve finished 30th or worse. He placed 11th on Sunday, coming out of Phoenix with 26 points. Van Gisbergen now has the fifth-most points in the Cup Series. It’s only four races in, but we feel pretty confident saying SVG is making The Chase.
Related: Denny Hamlin Predicts Which Driver Can Challenge SVG’s Road-Course Dominance
Loser: Misery Continues for Kyle Busch, No. 8 Team
A split this offseason between Kyle Busch and Richard Childress Racing feels inevitable at this point. With a winless streak now reaching 100 races, Busch’s No. 8 car started 28th on Sunday and quickly became one of the first cars that got lapped in Stage 1. Despite having one of the slowest cars in the field, Busch still managed to abuse his tires to the point that he blew the right-front tire on Lap 33 of Stage 2. If not for Shane van Gisbergen’s issue that drew the caution seconds later, Busch would’ve fallen 2 laps down to the leaders. No matter, he managed to fall 2 laps behind anyway and his day never got any better. Ironically, he had another tire issue on the final stage and again avoided falling back down a lap because of a second SVG-caused cation. After winning the pole at the Daytona 500, Busch hasn’t logged a top-10 finish in four races this year.
Winner: Bubba Wallace Stays Hot
Coming off a career-best finish at COTA and ranking second in points, Bubba Wallace and the No. 23 team could’ve lived with pedestrian results on Sunday. After all, Wallace had an average finishing position of 21.2 with 23XI at Phoenix Raceway. He made a mistake early, dropping to the back of the field after speeding on pit road. The No. 23 car navigated its way through crowds from then on, placing fifth in Stage 2 (six points) and ultimately finishing with a career-best sixth-place finish at Phoenix. He’s finished no worse than 11th in four races this year and has the third-most points in the Cup Series right now.
Related: Denny Hamlin Praises Bubba Wallace’s for Specific Improvement
Loser: Ryan Blaney’s Tire Changer
Ryan Blaney certainly had a car that was capable of winning at Phoenix. Unfortunately for the No. 12 team, not everyone had a good day. In Stage 2 after Shane van Gisbergen’s caution, Blaney had to come back down pit road after a pit stop because of a loose left-front wheel, and that dropped him to the back of the field. Just as he started to work his way closer to the front, a caution midway through the stage brought everyone back to pit road. This time around, the left-rear tire was loose when Blaney was sent off and he had to stop in Joey Logano’s stall for it to be tightened. Once more, he had to drop to the back of the field. He still overcame all of this to win on Sunday. The team will be celebrating, but certain members of the pit crew owe Blaney a special thank you.
Winner: Christopher Bell’s Day of Dominance
As Blaney said, Christopher Bell probably wins the NASCAR race today if there’s one less caution or even a few more laps for the four-tire change to pay off for the No. 20 car. While Bell didn’t make it to victory lane, he got out of his car with a second-place finish and joined Blaney as the only driver to record 50-plus points (54) on the day. Bell truly dominated the majority of this race and he can at least feel good about the fact that he gained 18 points on the leaderboard as we head to Las Vegas.
