The Harley J. Earl trophy is safely tucked away on William Byron’s shelf and the 2025 NASCAR Cup season is formally underway. Because the Daytona 500 will get additional away within the rearview mirror, the drama and chaos of NASCAR’s season opener remained on the collection’ tail to Atlanta. There, we virtually skilled a three-wide photograph end, plus intense racing from begin to end, some harm emotions, and leaving everybody with loads to speak about.
So this is a have a look at the most important winners and losers from Atlanta:
WINNER: Toyota is saved by the Bell
Toyota was nowhere for many of Sunday’s race, solely main six complete laps between all of their drivers. Ford dominated each levels whereas Chevrolet seemed to be within the good place to safe the checkered flag. However the all the time quiet Christopher Bell rose to the event and pounced when a chance offered itself within the closing laps. He received to the skin of Kyle Larson on the ultimate restart and with the assistance of a well-timed warning simply as he was being compelled to the far outdoors in a three-wide battle for the win, the motive force of the No. 20 Toyota was in a position to safe the victory.
Bell had began the race in thirty second and solely led a single lap all day — the final one. It was shaping as much as be a lackluster day for Toyota till they had been actually saved by Bell on the very finish, who now locks himself into the playoffs simply two races into the brand new season.
Watch: Christopher Bell wins Atlanta: ‘I like superspeedways’
LOSER: Workforce Chevy had the numbers, however not the teamwork
Whereas Bell loved making some victory donuts, Chevrolet was left questioning what went improper. At these drafting-style tracks, producer allegiances (for higher or worse) are paramount. So when the inexperienced flag waved on the ultimate restart at Atlanta, Chevy needed to be feeling fairly good. Automobiles with Bowties on the nostril ran 1-2-3 and managed each strains for the two-lap sprint to the checkered flag.
Nonetheless, Carson Hocevar’s choice to ship it up the center as an alternative of pushing Ross Chastain opened the door for Bell, a Toyota driver, to make a run at Larson. Hocevar additionally gave Bell a useful shove on the ultimate lap, however to be honest, he solely did it so he might have a shot on the win himself as he cut up the leaders into the ultimate set of corners. The timing of the warning robbed him of the prospect to see if that transfer would work out in his favor. The Chevy camp must be disillusioned as they replicate on how they managed to present away that race win.
Watch: Christopher Bell wins as warning flies on remaining lap at Atlanta
WINNER: Hocevar makes no buddies on his method to career-best displaying
Talking of Hocevar, he could not really feel like a winner after Sunday’s race, nevertheless it’s laborious to disclaim the expertise of the 2024 Cup Sequence Rookie of the Yr. He angered Ryan Blaney, Kyle Busch, and even his mentor Chastain, however he nonetheless practically delivered Spire Motorsports a shock victory in simply the second race of the 12 months. To place that into perspective, Spire solely has one victory within the Cup Sequence and that got here practically 5 years in the past in a rain-shortened occasion at Daytona.
Had the race run inexperienced to the end, his sensational transfer up the center of Bell and Larson might have ended with him in Victory Lane. However as an alternative, he needed to hear as extra senior drivers gave him a stern speaking to on pit street for his wild strikes on observe. Whereas not nice for his standing within the storage, he positive was a spectacle for these watching the race play out. And he did not appear too bothered by it, telling FOX’s Bob Pockrass: “We’re right here to win races — not be a boy band and love one another and play within the playground collectively.”
Watch: Hocevar after runner-up end: ‘Some stuff I received to be taught and clear up just a little bit’
LOSER: NASCAR race management cannot make up its thoughts
NASCAR race management wants one factor greater than the rest — consistency. They’ve appeared extraordinarily reactive over the previous two weeks, going back-and-forth on their place concerning when a wreck on the ultimate lap is sufficiently big to set off a race-ending warning. For instance, the warning was thrown mere seconds from the road within the second Duel qualifying race at Daytona, spoiling a photograph end. Because of the criticism, NASCAR let the sector race again within the Daytona 500 regardless of the leaders crashing in entrance of your entire area.
Quick ahead to Atlanta, NASCAR allowed the sector to race again once more as a number of vehicles crashed on the backstretch within the Xfinity race. The drivers and some others weren’t thrilled, saying it set a harmful precedent of permitting vehicles to race full velocity by way of an accident scene. Drivers who slowed down for the carnage ended up shedding a number of spots.
In a single day, they switched positions but once more and stated the identical scenario on Sunday would lead to a warning. Sadly, that meant when Josh Berry crashed on the ultimate lap, NASCAR threw the warning — doing so simply because the leaders fanned out three-wide in what was set to be one other iconic end resembling one 12 months in the past. However as an alternative of one other drag-race to the checkered flag, we had been left with an abrupt ending that pissed off followers and left a bitter style of their mouths.
NASCAR wants to select a lane and keep it up, it doesn’t matter what it’s — allow them to race or throw the warning. Going back-and-forth like that is simply making the scenario worse and inflicting extra confusion.
Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, Carson Hocevar, Spire Motorsports Chevrolet, Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Photograph by: Chris Graythen – Getty Pictures
WINNER: A Hill none might overcome
Having a look on the Xfinity race for a second, how are you going to not be in awe of what the motive force of the No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet is doing at these drafting tracks? Austin Hill led a powerful 146 of 163 laps on Saturday, taking a commanding victory at his house observe. 5 of the final six Atlanta Xfinity races have now been received by Hill, and three of the final 4 season openers at Daytona have additionally been received by him. If not for the mechanical gremlins he confronted final weekend, he doubtless might have received that race too. It is not typically in fashionable NASCAR the place one driver appears so unbeatable at a sure type of observe — particularly at tracks as unpredictable as superspeedways.
Austin Hill, Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Photograph by: Jonathan Bachman – Getty Pictures
Austin Cindric does not get too many probabilities to contend for race wins and regardless of that, he stays one of many cleanest drivers within the area when he finds himself close to a possible race win. Sadly, the identical can’t be stated for his competitors. He was main on the white flag within the Daytona 500, and once more main with three laps to go at Atlanta. However in each circumstances, he was wrecked by an aggressive driver attempting to make room for themselves. On Sunday, it was Larson drifting up the observe, which ended with each Cindric and Larson’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron crashing down the backstretch. Regardless of over 100 laps led between the primary two races of the 12 months, he has little to indicate for it and must be questioning what extra he has to do to catch a break.
Austin Cindric, Workforce Penske Ford, Ryan Blaney, Workforce Penske Ford
Photograph by: Jonathan Bachman – Getty Pictures
WINNER: Michael McDowell and his free move palooza
With all of the motion on the entrance of the sector, few observed what Michael McDowell was doing on the very again of the pack through the Atlanta Cup race. An influence steering concern compelled him into the storage early and he returned to the race six laps down. However the former Daytona 500 winner did not throw within the towel, placing himself in place to obtain a record-tying SIX free passes all through the race and getting again onto the lead lap. If that wasn’t spectacular sufficient, he additionally prevented all the carnage and quietly raced his method to a thirteenth place end with out a scratch on his automobile.
Michael McDowell, Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Photograph by: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Pictures
LOSER: The Wooden Brothers be a part of these on the backside of the factors pile
Josh Berry hoped to rebound from a disappointing Daytona 500 the place he was collected within the first wreck of the race. For some time, it appeared like he would possibly because the No. 21 machine received the caution-free opening stage at Atlanta — main over 50 laps. Whereas he wasn’t in place to win on the finish, he was nonetheless moments away from accumulating a strong top-ten when he received squeezed. In consequence, he begins the 12 months with back-to-back DNFs and now sits outdoors the highest 30 in factors. He joins the likes of Brad Keselowski, Noah Gragson, Cole Custer, and Cody Ware as drivers determined to show issues round earlier than the hole to get there will get any deeper.
Josh Berry, Wooden Brothers Racing Ford
Photograph by: Sean Gardner / Getty Pictures
WINNER: Followers of the NASCAR Truck Sequence
Whereas each the Cup and Xfinity race ended with wrecked race vehicles littering the backstretch, the third and lowermost degree of NASCAR’s nationwide divisions went a special route. Led by Kyle Busch, the sector placed on a present within the closing laps of the race. As an alternative of unhealthy blocks and placing rivals into the wall, every driver constructed up a run and took their shot on the lead with out a lot drama.
The lead was swapping consistently within the closing laps with six totally different drivers taking a prove entrance within the remaining 20 laps. And ultimately, there was no wreck, however an exciting photograph end between two-time NASCAR Cup champion Kyle Busch and Truck Sequence veteran Stewart Friesen. The margin of victory (0.017s) was the twelfth closest in Truck Sequence historical past and the closest in a Truck race at Atlanta in practically 20 years!
Kyle Busch, Spire Motorsports beats Stewart Friesen, Halmar-Friesen Racing in photograph end
Photograph by: Chris Graythen – Getty Pictures
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