Christopher Bell rallied for an additional time win Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway, capturing the for his tenth profession victory.
The Joe Gibbs Racing driver had however discovered himself up entrance when the race restarted for a green-white-checkered end. After dueling with Kyle Larson after which Carson Hocevar, who tried to make it three-wide up entrance, Bell received below warning after a multi-car crash on the ultimate lap.
“That proper there’s what you dream of,” mentioned Bell after he climbed out of his automobile on the monitor and acquired a kiss from his spouse. “All through the start of the day, we had been simply caught means within the again. However that final half of the race we had been at our greatest.”
After a overview by NASCAR officers, Hocevar completed second, Larson third, pole winner Ryan Blaney fourth and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. fifth. Blaney had roared again as much as the entrance after spinning with 27 laps remaining. The 2023 NASCAR Cup Collection champion prevented harm on the spin and remained on the lead lap after taking 4 contemporary tires whereas many of the remainder of the sphere remained on the monitor.
The race featured 50 lead adjustments, however Bell was by no means part of that till additional time.
“This place is simply bonkers,” Bell mentioned. “Each time we come right here, it will get wilder and wilder, and I by no means in my wildest desires would have thought I might have received a superspeedway race.”
Sunday marked Hocevar’s finest profession end within the NASCAR Cup Collection, although the 22-year-old Spire Motorsports driver left some rivals incensed at his aggressive driving.
“There may be some stuff I’ve to be taught and clear up just a little bit, however I really feel like we put ourselves within the excellent alternative to win the race,” Hocevar mentioned. “I’ve by no means had that chance actually earlier than, particularly on an enormous superspeedway.”
The race went to additional time after two of the day’s dominant automobiles crashed whereas racing within the Prime 3.
On lap 258, Austin Cindric received compelled into the surface wall by Larson, who was making an attempt to squeeze in entrance as the 2 battled for the lead. Cindric bounced off the wall and into Daytona 500 winner William Byron, who was following in third place. Each automobiles spun down the monitor and into the within wall, bringing out a warning and sending the race to additional time.
Cindric had led 47 laps on Sunday, ending second in Stage 1 and ninth in Stage 2. Byron took third within the opening section and fourth in Stage 2.
Ambetter Well being 400 Prime 10 outcomes
Listed below are the Prime 10 finishers from Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Collection race at Atlanta:
(32) Christopher Bell, Toyota
(26) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet
(17) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet
(1) Ryan Blaney, Ford
(34) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet
(3) Denny Hamlin, Toyota
(6) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet
(33) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet
(14) Bubba Wallace, Toyota
(22) John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota
SUNDAY’S RACE:
Ambetter Well being 400 Stage 2 recap
Larson used a late restart to win Stage 2 of the Ambettor Well being 400 for his first stage win on a drafting monitor.
Because the drivers took the inexperienced flag with three laps remaining, Larson pushed his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Alex Bowman to the lead over reigning collection champion Joey Logano, who had dominated most of Stage 2 in his No. 22 Ford. Larson then pulled alongside his teammate with Logano instantly behind Bowman. Logano then took them three-wide on the ultimate lap, however Larson received an enormous push from Bubba Wallace to cross the end line first.
After the Fords had been clearly the most effective automobiles within the first section, Chevrolet confirmed its energy in within the closing laps of Stage 2 with Hendrick drivers claiming three of the top-five spots: Larson (first), Byron (fourth) and Bowman (fifth). Wallace outdueled Logano for second in his No. 23 Toyota, whereas his teammate at 23XI Racing, Tyler Reddick, vaulted as much as sixth.
It wasn’t all excellent news for Hendrick Motorsports in Stage 2, nonetheless. The late race restart happened after Georgia native Chase Elliott triggered a multi-car crash that introduced out a warning.
With 11 remaining, Elliott received changed into the surface wall after Stenhouse and Chase Briscoe made contact in entrance of him. Elliott tried to get management of his No. 9 Chevrolet however ended up spinning and hitting Brad Keselowski and Corey LaJoie, who had been each compelled out of the race.
Ambetter Well being 400 Stage 1 recap
Josh Berry, driving the No. 21 for Wooden Brothers Racing, received the 60-lap opening stage amid a powerful displaying for Ford drivers and Staff Penske, which companions with the Wooden Brothers.
Blaney began on the pole, Cindric led a number of laps and Logano raced close to the entrance of the pack for many of the opening section. Cindric completed second within the stage, Blaney eighth and Logano tenth.
Chevrolet drivers started to make strikes by the halfway level of Stage 1, together with Byron, who completed third after beginning sixteenth, and teammate Chase Elliott, who took fifth within the stage after beginning nineteenth.
Wallace was the highest Toyota driver in Stage 1, ending fourth after beginning 14th.
NASCAR penalizes Chase Briscoe, Joe Gibbs Racing for modified spoiler
NASCAR penalized driver Chase Briscoe and Joe Gibbs Racing for modifying a spoiler on the No. 19 Toyota on the season-opening Daytona 500 final weekend.
Briscoe, who received the pole for the season-opening race and positioned fourth behind winner William Byron, misplaced 100 driver factors and 10 playoff factors. Briscoe, in his first season with Joe Gibbs Racing, fell from tenth to thirty ninth within the driver standings with negative-67 factors. JGR was fined $100,000 and docked 100 proprietor factors and 10 playoff factors. Crew chief James Small was suspended for 4 races.
NASCAR mentioned modifications to the spoiler had been discovered throughout inspection on the NASCAR Analysis & Growth Heart in Harmony, N.C. There was a violation as a result of the spoiler base is a single-source half and can’t be modified.
JGR launched a press release indicating it plans to attraction the penalty. Due to the attraction, Small was allowed to crew chief for Briscoe at Atlanta.
“The problem in query was triggered within the meeting course of when bolts used to connect the spoiler base to the deck lid triggered the pre-drilled holes to put on as a consequence of provided half interferences,” JGR defined within the assertion.
Contributing: Discipline Degree Media
