NASCAR EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix takeaways: Thrilling COTA finish provides season's first repeat winner

Here are five takeaways from the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at COTA:

Bell becomes season's first repeat winner with late pass 

After a late pass over Busch with eight laps to go, Bell held off a hard charge from Byron and pole sitter Reddick to pick up his second consecutive win, his third win on a road course and the 11th of his career.

Bell becomes the first driver since Kevin Harvick in 2018 to win two of the season's first three races after an impressive drive from a 19th-place starting position. It may be early, but Bell looks like a strong championship contender.

Busch comes up short once more

The winless streak continues for the two-time Cup Series champion after settling for fifth in Sunday's race. Busch has now gone 60 races since his last Cup Series win at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway in 2023 despite leading a race-high 42 laps at COTA.

With the series set to embark on a diverse set of racetracks in the coming months, Busch will still be in search of that win that has eluded him for close to two years.

Chase Elliott rallies from early adversity for top five

It did not take long for Elliott to suffer a setback after a daring move entering Turn 1 from Ross Chastain on the opening lap sent the Hendrick Motorsports driver for a spin.

The incident damaged Elliott's toe link, forcing him to make an extended pit stop after the conclusion of the opening stage and restart at the tail of the field. Crew chief Alan Gustafson elected to put four fresh tires on the No. 9 Chevrolet on Lap 79 after a caution the lap before. Elliott took full advantage of the 13-lap green flag run to the finish and came away with an impressive fourth-place finish.

Disappointing Cup Series debut for 18-year-old Connor Zilisch

It was a frustrating day for the 18-year-old phenom from the beginning. Zilisch suffered a flat tire on the first lap of the race and rallied to the top 15. That is when he collided with teammate Daniel Suarez while trying to avoid him and crashed into the tire barriers.

Although the highly-anticipated debut for Zilisch ended with a last-place finish, there is a bright future ahead for the young talent. Zilisch is already in position to make the playoffs in the Xfinity Series after winning Saturday's race at COTA. While Sunday did not go as planned, expect to see Zilisch racing for wins and championships for years to come.

Tiresome day for Kyle Larson

It was not the day the 2021 champion expected by the time the checkered flag waved. After running among the top five for Stage 1, Larson's day went south from there. After making a pit stop on Lap 43, Larson's right front wheel came off in Turn 15, which forced him back to pit road to serve a mandatory two-lap penalty.

Larson, who ultimately finished 32nd, is looking to put the first three races behind him. Despite a third-place finish at Atlanta, Larson has two finishes of 20th or worse and will head to the series' next two races at Phoenix and Las Vegas without two of his crew members as a result of the wheel coming off.