Shriners Children’s 500

On Lap 99, it was noted that this was the first time five cautions had occurred in the first 100 laps of a NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix since 2011.

And that tells you how things started out in the Shriners Children’s 500. After William Byron secured the pole, the Hendrick Motorsports driver won the opening stage in Phoenix, with Christopher Bell claiming Stage 2.

The final stage started with the majority of the field on the optional tire. All was golden until about 42 to go when Bubba Wallace hit the wall and blew a tire. At the same time, his teammate, Tyler Reddick, came down pit road with a power steering issue. As drivers came to their teams for adjustments, fuel, and tires, many were assessed with penalties, shaking up the field for the remainder of the race.

With 23 to go, Ryan Blaney brought out the ninth caution of the day when his motor blew up, ending his day.

This caution brought a handful of drivers to the pits – many taking advantage of their second and final set of optional tires.

Then, with eight to go, the No. 54 blew a tire and slammed the wall, continuing his streak of unfortunate finishes.

This caution set up a green-white-checkered finish with Bell, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson, and Josh Berry battling it out to the stripe. But when the smoke settled, the winner was Bell – going three in a row!

Rich MARvelous Move of the Race

Without a doubt, Bell’s final two laps made it an easy decision for the Rich MARvelous Move of the Race.

.@CBellRacing holds off a hard-charging @dennyhamlin to win at @phoenixraceway! pic.twitter.com/x70NvrgC5Z

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 9, 2025

Not only did he race his teammate hard, yet clean, he got squirrelly off of Larson’s nose and held onto it to claim the win.

Shoutout

To start off the weekend, Josh Berry qualified P4. Throughout the race, he made noise, and after a slow pit stop on Lap 93, the No. 21 team rallied back to finish the race P4, even battling for the win in the closing laps.

Our @FordPerformance Mustang was as fast as @geteero WiFi systems in qualifying! Starting 4th today @phoenixraceway. @woodbrothers21 pic.twitter.com/d84tHEiuQT

— Josh Berry (@joshberry) March 9, 2025

Shout out to the team for sticking with it and being there at the end!

Thank you to Rich Mar Florist for sponsoring the Rich MARvelous Move of the Race. Give them a follow on social media (Facebook, Instagram, X) to stay up-to-date with all the Team Rich Mar NASCAR happenings. Be sure to check out their website for all your floral needs.