Circuit of the Americas winners and losers

A look at the winners and losers from Sunday’s race at Circuit of the Americas…

Ross Chastain: Chastain has been in the hunt for his first win in the Cup Series all season long. He needed a last-gasp shove to AJ Allmendinger to get it done, but Chastain finally got that checkered flag Sunday in Austin. It’s Chastain’s fourth straight top-three finish and sends Trackhouse Racing to Victory Lane for the first time in the team’s young history. Chastain led a race-high 31 of 68 laps and now sits second in laps led this season (156) to Ryan Blaney (206).

Alex Bowman: All eyes were on Chastain and Allmendinger in the closing moments, but Bowman nearly snuck his way into another victory on Sunday afternoon. While the two leaders fought it out, Bowman lurked into the picture and became a true threat to win in the final half lap. He became a victim of Chastain’s shot to Allmendinger, but Bowman kept his car straight enough after contact from Allmendinger to escape the melee with a second-place finish. Bowman’s only finishes better than 10th this season are first (Las Vegas) and second (COTA).

Christopher Bell: At one point in Sunday’s race, Bell’s No. 20 Toyota sat on pit road and fell one lap behind with its hood open as the team worked to diagnose a steering issue. Thanks to a free pass, multiple cautions and an incredible drive, Bell muscled his way back to finish third, his first top-five finish of 2022. Bell was in the mix for the win at Atlanta one week ago and actually crossed the finish line second. But his last-lap pass on Chastain was deemed illegal because he went beneath the boundary line, relegating him to 23rd place. This week, Bell gets to keep the top five.

Austin Cindric: Cindric has needed a good run for a few