# NASCAR Phoenix Notebook: Wallace Loses Win, Bell Closes In

> Bubba Wallace loses Phoenix win after pit road penalty; Christopher Bell closes title gap.
- Title: NASCAR Phoenix Notebook: Wallace Loses Win, Bell Closes In
- Summary: Bubba Wallace loses Phoenix win after pit road penalty; Christopher Bell closes title gap. Bubba Wallace lost his Phoenix win due to a pit road speeding…
- Keywords: bubba wallace, christopher bell, nascar cup championship, phoenix raceway, freeway insurance 500, pit road penalty, stage points, nascar championship chase, cars, sports, NASCAR, Phoenix
- Source: Autoweek — https://autoweek.com/racing/nascar/a74173305/nascar-phoenix-notebook-wallace-loses-win
- Author: Deb Williams
- Published: 2026-10-19T02:51:35+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: bubba wallace, christopher bell, nascar cup championship, phoenix raceway, freeway insurance 500, pit road penalty, stage points, nascar championship chase, cars, sports
## Wallace's win evaporates
Bubba Wallace lost his Phoenix win after a pit road speeding penalty on lap 285.

> Our team is so good at finding all the gray areas to operate in and find our limits
## Wallace explains pit road penalty
Wallace said corner pitting is tough with low visibility and risks speeding penalties.

> Corner pitting is really, really tough to see with just the lack of visibility
## Blaney falls short of third win
Ryan Blaney fell 0.801 seconds short of his third straight Phoenix victory.

> I wish I would have found the top of (turns) three and four a little earlier
## Bell closes title gap
Christopher Bell moves within five points of NASCAR Cup championship lead with three races remaining.

> We’re right there in it. We’ve been able to qualify well and run up front in Stages
## Logano's good and bad day
Joey Logano salvaged a sixth-place finish after Ford alternator problem with 56 laps remaining.

> We gave away a win, but made up close to 50 points to the leader
## Hamlin's tire issue
Denny Hamlin lost 49 points to leader Kyle Larson after right-rear tire went flat.

> Just a corner before I felt the car bottom out
## Elliott secures top five
Chase Elliott earned third-place finish after two scuffed tires on final stop.

> I thought that maybe if we could get a couple rows of a buffer we’d be OK
## Bell's stage points
Bell recorded second-most stage points in Phoenix race with 85 laps leading.

> We’re right there in it. We’ve been able to qualify well and run up front in Stages
## Hamlin's pit road penalty
Hamlin received pit road speeding penalty after right-rear tire went flat.

> I knew at that point (I) definitely had a tire (down)
## Elliott's race strategy
Elliott held off competitors after restart with two scuffed tires.

> To settle in and be able to hold the rest of those guys off, I thought it was solid
## Key takeaway

Bubba Wallace lost his Phoenix win due to a pit road speeding penalty, while Christopher Bell moved within five points of the NASCAR Cup championship lead with three races remaining.