Stat Pack Recap: 2025 NASCAR Cup Series EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix
Christopher Bell battled for the COTA win and has cemented elite status.
Race: Results | Analytics | Loop Data | Lap-by-lap Download
Qualifying: Busch Pole Qualifying - Group 2 results and lap download
Practice: NCS Practice 1 results and lap download | NCS Practice 2 results and lap download
Christopher Bell took the win after a fantastic four-way battle with William Byron, Tyler Reddick, and Kyle Busch. This was a great final quarter of the race and some brilliant driving by Bell to wait out Kyle Busch.
I have long been a Bell skeptic. Despite the wins, he's never shown truly elite numbers: his PFAEs of 1.5-3 are great but not Championship level.
I am changing my mind. He has found another level. Since Michigan last year, he has nearly double the positions finished above expected (PFAE) per race of any other driver:
| Driver | Car | Starts | Wins | ASP | AFP | Avg. PFAE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christopher Bell | 20 | 16 | 2 | 13.75 | 9.06 | 8.138 |
| William Byron | 24 | 16 | 1 | 10.00 | 11.00 | 4.592 |
| Denny Hamlin | 11 | 16 | 0 | 15.69 | 13.44 | 4.370 |
| Chris Buescher | 17 | 16 | 1 | 19.00 | 14.31 | 4.362 |
| Carson Hocevar | 77 | 16 | 0 | 19.69 | 16.81 | 2.781 |
8.14 is a Cup-driver-in-Xfinity number. Look how his Cup career PFAE line shoots up thanks to his average finish coming down.:
Bell is the one to watch going forward this season. If he keeps up anything close to this — and he has a massive margin to work with — he could win 7+ races in 2025.
| Driver | Start | Finish | ARP | PGAE | GR-LR | cPOMS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christopher Bell | 19 | 1 | 6.86 | 16.45 | 4.754 | 0.978 |
| William Byron | 15 | 2 | 5.04 | 16.52 | 4.136 | 0.978 |
| Tyler Reddick | 1 | 3 | 5.86 | 15.07 | 3.158 | 0.977 |
| Chase Elliott | 3 | 4 | 23.04 | 71.56 | 2.885 | 0.980 |
| Kyle Busch | 8 | 5 | 2.17 | 5.08 | 4.561 | 0.980 |