There was great anticipation for the Penzoil 400 this week and it did not disappoint. The Penzoil 400 is a 400 mile race on the NASCAR schedule. Fans were kept on the edge of their seats with unexpected winners and losers. Would Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing driver. who made NASCAR history weeks ago on Sunday, becoming the first driver in the Gen. 7 car to win three NASCAR Cup Series races in a row bring home another victory? Or would another driver rise to the occasion?
Christopher Bell’s Day
On the 16th Christopher did not have the day he had hoped. During the race, Christopher pulled into the pits and when he pulled out his pit crew, he did not have enough time to fully secure one tire. This caused him to have to pull into a teammate’s pit box so that he could get his wheel tightened.
Mid-Race Issues
Wheel issues seemed to be a common problem at the race because not only was there an issue with Christopher Bell’s wheel but one of Kyle Busch’s as well who races for Richard Childress Racing. One of his wheels fell off mid-race. Additionally, Shane Van Ginsbergen of Trackhouse Racing, had an issue with a flat tire. Some teams tried to mitigate issues by swapping two tires so that they could cycle to the front and have faster pit stops.
The Emotional Finish
The winner that day was Josh Berry which was exciting for him and his pit crew because this was his first ever Cup Series win. This win put the Wood Brothers Racing team above the 100 win mark, so this 101st and 1st win was monumental for the entire team.
Works Cited:
2025 NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. “Las Vegas – Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube.” NASCAR.com, www.nascar.com/2025/pennzoil-400-presented-by-jiffy-lube. Accessed 1 Apr. 2025.
NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. “NASCAR Cup Series Schedule.” NASCAR, www.nascar.com/nascar-cup-series/2025/schedule/. Accessed 1 Apr. 2025.
—. “NASCAR Cup Series Standings and Stats.” NASCAR, www.nascar.com/standings/nascar-cup-series/. Accessed 1 Apr. 2025.
