Denny Hamlin entered Sunday’s race at Phoenix looking to turn around his rough start to the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season. After finishing 24th at Daytona and 21st at Circuit of the Americas, with only a sixth-place result at Atlanta in between, he was eager for a stronger performance.
Phoenix has historically been a solid track for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver. In 39 previous Cup Series starts there, he had collected 22 top-10 finishes, 16 top-5s, and two victories, with an average finishing position of 10.8. As the laps wound down on Sunday, it looked like he was in position to add another win to that record. However, standing in his way was teammate Christopher Bell, who had dominated the race by leading 105 laps and was on the verge of securing his third consecutive victory of the season.
The race came down to a dramatic final restart with two laps remaining. Hamlin and Bell battled side-by-side, with the No. 11 car on the outside having a slight advantage at the white flag. As they sped through Turn 2, Bell managed to pull ahead. Entering Turn 3, the teammates remained door-to-door, running high on the track. Coming out of Turn 4, Hamlin brushed the outside wall slightly while Bell maintained his line on the inside. Just behind them, Kyle Larson gave Bell a small bump as they raced to the finish.
Bell ultimately crossed the line first, followed by Hamlin in second and Larson in third.
Frustration was evident as Hamlin reacted on his team radio moments after the race.
“[Expletive] it!” he shouted. “[Expletive]!”
Crew chief Chris Gayle responded, offering some encouragement. “Sorry, bud. Good try, man. Great effort on everybody’s part.”
Still upset, Hamlin fired back, “[Expletive] ran in some [expletive].”
With Phoenix in the books, Hamlin will turn his attention to Las Vegas, where he has won twice before and will be seeking his first victory of 2025. However, much of the focus heading into the race will be on Christopher Bell, as he looks to extend his winning streak to four straight.
