Hampton, Georgia In the closing laps of Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Joey Logano managed to sneak past the race’s early leader, Brad Keselowski.
Fords and Toyotas were in contention for the victory on Sunday in the final laps despite Chevrolet drivers have won the first four races of the season.
In attempting to snap a 66-race winless drought, Keselowski was in the lead at the finish line. Still, Logano overtook him on the outside and eventually claimed the information thanks to a push from Christopher Bell.
Bell, Corey LaJoie, who finished in the top five with the most significant result of his career, and Tyler Reddick, who ran well despite being sick on Sunday morning, completed the top five.
Logano ran Legends cars on the quarter-mile circuit around the AMS frontstretch early in his racing career. Thus his first Cup victory at the track was emotional. After the win, his father was the first to get in his car.
“(This is) so special to win Atlanta for me,” Logano said. “So many memories of me and my dad racing right here on the quarter mile. This is the full circle for us. So many memories of gritting over there with the Legends car, racing, and having a considerable time.
Dad and I have been waiting to take this photo since 1999 🏁 pic.twitter.com/Lu3WY0i77v
— Joey Logano (@joeylogano) March 20, 2023
Dreaming of going straight at the quarter-mile and going to the big track. That was always the dream to do it. Finally, winning here means so much to the team and me.
“This thing was an animal. Very, very fast. Able to lead many laps, race hard at the end, and get a good push from the 20 (Bell) to clear me. Enough of a push to get in.”
Logano’s first victory at Atlanta but his 32nd overall. They battled side-by-side in the closing laps as he led 140 laps to Keselowski’s 47.
“I know Brad well on and off the racetrack, right?” Logano said. “I know he’s going to do anything to win a race. And rightfully so. I wouldn’t say our racing mentalities are very different. That’s why I feel like we get along well. We also sometimes have clashed on a track now and then. Not very often.
“We both race hard. So I felt like we were going to duke it out. When I got to his outside, it was either he was going to wreck or we were going just to race, and, hopefully, he would get the big push on the bottom. That was his only hope there. It just ultimately ended up working out fine.”
Despite the crashes, the race was significantly less chaotic than the Craftsman Truck and Xfinity Series races at the same circuit on Saturday. There were multiple warning flags and incidents in both of those races.
With 52 laps left on Sunday, the race’s leader Aric Almirola, who was using older tires, lost control after a tire exploded. Second-placed Kyle Larson struck him. Almirola and Larson abandoned the race after significant damage was done to both vehicles.
A multi-car collision started when leader Kevin Harvick lost control as Ross Chastain neared his rear bumper with 71 laps to go. Cars swarmed in the midst of the lead drafting pack as Harvick spun out of control. Chris Buescher’s car swerved and collided with the interior wall. Chastain took over the role.
After the conclusion of Stage 2, Austin Cindric took top place. As Cindric crossed the finish line, Reddick, Logano, Alex Bowman, and William Byron were behind him. Logano had led 135 laps after the first two stages. The most any other driver had led was seven.
Logano, who won the pole position, controlled the first stage, driving all 60 laps to earn his first stage victory of the year. Cindric, Keselowski, Ryan Blaney, and Denny Hamlin came after him in the order.
At 11 laps into the race, Bubba Wallace collided with the inside wall, bringing out the first caution. After repairs with two circuits, he returned to the race and was in last place. Later, he dropped another lap.
Stage 1 winner: Joey Logano
Stage 2 winner: Austin Cindric
In the first two stages, it was obvious that Joey Logano’s car was in control, and he successfully maneuvered to victory on the final lap. All day long, Brad Keselowski maintained a position at or near the front, and in the final circuits, he set himself up to win.
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Corey LaJoie maintained his solid start to the season by finishing fourth after running strongly in the last stage. On lap 11, Bubba Wallace lost control of his vehicle and slammed into the inside wall, bringing out the race’s first caution. He missed two laps.
William Byron entered the race with two victories in a row, but he was one of the drivers injured in a multi-car collision with 71 laps to go. Chris Buescher ran alongside the leaders but had to stop during the race’s fourth caution because of severe damage.
The tire strategy Aric Almirola’s team used allowed them to take the lead in the last stage, but they ultimately failed when Almirola crashed into the wall and dropped out of the race.
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