TheNASCAR Cup Series caps off a triple header weekend of racing at the newly reconfigured Atlanta Motor Speedway with the Folds of Honor Quiktrip 500.
After rain showers cancelled out qualifying on Friday, NASCAR has set the field by its metric; putting Phoenix winner Chase Briscoe on the pole with Ryan Blaney alongside on the front row.
During the pre-race inspection process, the Wood Brothers number 21 car driven by Harrison Burton failed inspection twice; as a result, Burton will have to start the race from the back of the field. In addition, the number 21 car chief Cody Sauls has been ejected from today’s race.
The lineup for the Folds of Honor Quiktrip 500:
Chase Briscoe
Ryan Blaney
Joey Logano
Kyle Busch
Tyler Reddick
Chase Elliott
Ross Chastain
Kevin Harvick
Kurt Busch
Aric Almirola
Alex Bowman
William Byron
Daniel Suarez
Chris Buescher
Denny Hamlin
Austin Cindric
Austin Dillon
Ty Dillon
Bubba Wallace
Cole Custer
Kyle Larson
Justin Haley
Erik Jones
Brad Keselowski
Todd Gilliland
Martin Truex Jr
Christopher Bell
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Michael McDowell
Noah Gragson
Harrison Burton – moved to the back of the field
Cody Ware
Corey LaJoie
BJ McLeod
David Ragan
Josh Bilicki
Greg Biffle
Major League Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher and former Atlanta Brave John Smoltz will be driving the pace car for today’s race.
Stages one and two of the race are 105 laps each with stage three lasting 115 laps for a total of 325 laps around the mile and a half track.
Country music star and Georgia native Brantley Gilbert gave a rousing command to start the engines.
Jeff Gordon returns to the FOX Broadcast booth to join Mike Joy and Clint Bowyer in calling today’s race.
Brad Keselowski will also start the race from the back of the field after his crew made some unapproved adjustments after pre-race inspection.
The drivers can run 64 to 70 laps on a single load of fuel; they will not be able to complete any of the stages without making at least one fuel stop.
Chase Briscoe brings the field down for the green flag start of the race and goes side by side with Ryan Blaney. Blaney edges out for the lead after a push from Joey Logano.
NASCAR has called for a competition caution on lap 45.
Lap two, Chase Briscoe leads the race.
Lap two, the top five are Chase Briscoe, Ryan Blaney, Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott, and Joey Logano.
Lap three, Kyle Busch takes second place and is on Chase Briscoe’s bumper.
It is a very windy afternoon with wind speeds around 30mph.
Lap five, Chase Briscoe leads the race with Kyle Busch in second; Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney, and Joey Logano round out the top five.
Kyle Busch passes Chase Briscoe on the inside to take the lead on lap eight.
Drivers are three wide across the track.
Lap eight, Ryan Blaney challenges Kyle Busch for the lead.
Lap 10, Kyle Busch leads the race with Ryan Blaney in second; Chase Elliott is in third.
Lap 14, Chase Elliott takes the lead on the inside.
Lap 16, Kyle Busch retakes the lead.
Lap 17, Kyle Busch and Chase Elliott battle for the lead; Chase Briscoe, Ross Chastain, and Ryan Blaney round out the top five.
After starting in eighth place, Kevin Harvick has fallen to 30th place. He reports to his crew that the car needs some major adjustments.
Lap 20, Kyle Busch leads the race with Chase Briscoe in second; Ross Chastain, Denny Hamlin, and William Byron round out the top five.
Leader Kyle Busch reports that his car is a little loose.
Lap 24, Kyle Busch has his number 18 M&M’s car in the lead.
The first caution flag of the race comes out on lap 24 when Noah Gragson spins out and hits the wall. Gragson gets out of the car and walks to the ambulance for the ride to the infield care center.
Drivers may come down pit road for service but cannot fuel the car until the competition caution.
A handful of drivers come down pit road for adjustments and fresh tires.
Alex Bowman and Greg Biffle were caught speeding on pit road and will have to restart the race from the back of the field.
Kyle Busch brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 31 with Ross Chastain alongside. Ross Chastain takes the lead with William Byron in second; Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott, and Chase Briscoe round out the top five.
Lap 32, William Byron battles with Ross Chastain for the lead. Byron is fresh off a win at Hickory Speedway on Saturday night.
Lap 34, William Byron and Ross Chastain continue to swap the lead back and forth.
Chase Briscoe got loose and was up near the wall but the track stays green.
Lap 36, William Byron leads the race with Ross Chastain in second; Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott, and Justin Haley round out the top five.
Lap 39, William Byron holds on to the lead with “the Watermelon Man” Ross Chastain in second; Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin, and Ryan Blaney round out the top five.
Lap 41, Ross Chastain takes the lead with William Byron in second; Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin, and Ryan Blaney round out the top five. Kyle Busch has dropped to eleventh.
Noah Gragson is out of the race, the remainder of the field are on the lead lap.
Lap 43, William Byron retakes the lead from Ross Chastain.
The drivers are two wide through the field.
NASCAR displays the yellow flag for the competition caution on lap 46.
The field comes down pit road for service. Crew chiefs remind the drivers to wait for the fuel to load. Bubba Wallace got stuck in his pit stall. Ryan Blaney wins the race off of pit road. Aric Almirola and Erik Jones make contact on pit road, causing Almirola to spin.
Christopher Bell and Justin Haley were both charged with equipment violations. Haley’s team had a tire get loose. Kurt Busch was charge with a safety violation. All three drivers will restart the race from the back of the field.
Ryan Blaney makes a second trip down pit road.
Brad Keselowski had an issue with his hood.
Joey Logano leads the race and will bring the field down for the green flag restart on lap 52 with Denny Hamlin alongside. Getting a push from Ross Chastain, Joey Logano takes the lead; Denny Hamlin, William Byron, and Erik Jones round out the top five.
Lap 55, Ross Chastain takes the lead with Joey Logano in second; Tyler Reddick, William Byron, and Kyle Busch round out the top five.
Lap 57, Ross Chastain leads the race with Joey Logano in second; William Byron, Kyle Busch, and Tyler Reddick round out the top five.
Lap 60, Ross Chastain has 12 of the 59 laps run so far; Joey Logano, William Byron, Kyle Busch, and Daniel Suarez round out the top five.
Lap 66, Joey Logano leads the race but gets passed by Tyler Reddick.
Lap 68, Joey Logano retakes the lead with Ross Chastain in second; Tyler Reddick, William Byron, and Kyle Busch round out the top five.
There is a three way battle for the lead with Tyler Reddick and Ross Chastain swapping the lead back and forth.
Lap 71, Ross Chastain and Tyler Reddick continue to battle back and forth for the lead.
Lap 72, Ross Chastain takes the lead with William Byron in second; Tyler Reddick, Denny Hamlin, and Kyle Busch round out the top five.
Lap 75, Ross Chastain continues to lead the race with William Byron in second; Tyler Reddick, Kyle Busch, and Denny Hamlin round out the top five. Chastain team mate Daniel Suarez is just outside the top five in sixth.
Lap 83, Ross Chastain continues to lead the race with William Byron in second; Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, and Austin Dillon round out the top five.
Only 83 of the 325 laps have been run and there have already been eight different race leaders.
Lap 87, Kurt Busch had a safety violation during the last pit stop and had to restart the race from the back of the field in 35th place; he is now in the top 10.
Lap 88, Ross Chastain continues to lead the field with William Byron in second; Denny Hmlin, Kyle Busch, and Austin Dillon round out the top five. Cody Ware is the only driver not on the lead lap.
In 32nd place, Brad Keselowski has been having a number of issues in today’s race including losing contact with his spotter for about 15 laps and getting a damaged nose on pit road.
Lap 93, Ross Chastain leads the race with William Byron in second; Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, and Austin Dilon round out the top five.
Lap 95, Ross Chastain gets into the wall with a flat tire and brings out the caution flag. Chastain hit the wall with the right rear section of the car first. William Byron is the new leader.
The teams each have 12 sets of tires for today’s race; plus the set of tires not used for qualifying.
Leaders stay out but after the top 10, drivers come down pit road for service.
The only driver not on the lead lap, Cody Ware is the “lucky dog”.
Ty Dillon was charged with leaving his pit stall with equipment – the gas can was still attached.
Ross Chastain was charged with improper refueling and has incurred a two lap penalty.
William Byron brings the field down for the green flag restart with just five laps remaining in stage one.
The caution flag comes out for a crash involving Kyle Busch and Austin Dillon; Ty Dillon gets into the wall and catches Chase Briscoe in the process.
Stage one ends under caution with William Byron winning the stage for his second of the season.
The top 10 at the end of stage one:
William Byron
Denny Hamlin
Daniel Suarez
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Erik Jones
Kurt Busch
Alex Bowman
Kyle Larson
Tyler Reddick
Christopher Bell
Drivers come down pit road for service with Chase Elliott winning the race off of pit road after taking fuel only. Ryan Blaney also took fuel only on his pit stop.
The top 13 drivers stayed out on the track after having made a pit stop on the previous caution.
Christopher Bell brings the field down for the green flag start of stage two on lap 111. Bell gets a push from Austin Cindric with Joey Logano getting a push from Martin Truex Jr. The drivers are side by side. Christopher Bell takes the lead.
Lap 112, the top five are Christopher Bell, Austin Cindric, Bubba Wallace, Michael McDowell, and Joey Logano.
Lap 118, Christopher Bell leads the race with Austin Cindric in second; Bubba Wallace, Michael McDowell, and Kevin Harvick round out the top five.
Lap 121, Christopher Bell has the lead but Kevin Harvick is coming up on the inside lane to battle for the lead.
Lap 122, with the help of Martin Truex Jr, Kevin Harvick takes the lead.
Lap 125, after restarting the race at the back of the field, Kyle Busch has moved up to 22nd place.
Lap 128, Kurt Busch is the new leader the Joey Logano battling for the spot.
There have been more lead changes at Atlanta today than both races from last season.
Lap 130, the top five are Kurt Busch, Ricky Stenhouse Jr, Tyler Reddick, Justin Haley, and Joey Logano.
Lap 131, Ricky Stenhouse Jr takes the lead for the 13th leader so far of the race.
Lap 132, Kurt Busch retakes the lead as he and Ricky Stenhouse Jr continue to battle for the lead.
Like a race at Daytona or Talladega the drivers are moving forward and back quickly through the field.
Lap 135, the top five are Ricky Stenhouse Jr, Justin Haley, Kurt Busch, William Byron, and Tyler Reddick.
Lap 138, Ricky Stenhouse Jr and Justin Haley battle for the lead.
Lap 139, Tyler Reddick takes the lead.
So far, 15 different drivers have led the race; the all time Atlanta Motor Speedway record is 17. With 37 drivers n the race, nearly half of them have led a lap and the race has yet to reach half way.
Lap 144, William Byron takes the lead.
The caution flag comes out on lap 144 when Tyler Reddick blew a tire. The incident caught up several other drivers. Austin Cindric, Kyle Larson, Corey LaJoie, Tyelr Reddick, Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell, Harrison Burton, Joey Logano, Michael McDowell, Todd Gilliland, Cole Custer, Kurt Busch, and Alex Bowman were all involved in the wreck. None of the drivers are out of the race; but have made repairs and are back on the track.
Drivers come down pit road for service and repairs. Taking only two tires, William Byron wins the race off of pit road.
Martin Truex was caught speeding on pit road and Daniel Suarez was charged with pitting outside of his pit box. Both drivers will restart the race from the back of the field.
Tyler Reddick had too many men over the wall and is charged with a two lap penalty.
William Byron is the leader of the race and will bring the field to the green flag restart on lap 154. Getting a push from behind, Kevin Harvick takes the lead with Ryan Blaney in second; William Byron, Erik Jones, and Aric Almirola round out the top five.
Kyle Busch is on pit road for repairs after his crash at the end of stage one.
The caution flag comes out on lap 157 for debris on the track.
Cole Custer takes his car to the garage.
Ross Chastain is the “lucky dog” for the second time and is now back on the lead lap.
There are 26 cars on the lead lap.
Kyle Busch is now eight laps down after an extend visit on pit road
Kevin Harvick brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 161 from the outside lane. Getting a push form Ryan Blaney, Kevin Harvick edges out for the lead. William Byron comes from the inside lane to battle for the lead.
William Byron is the lead with Kevin Harvick in second; Ryan Blaney, Erik Jones, and Aric Almirola round out the top five.
As the sun begins to move behind the buildings, the shadows get long and the sun begins to have an effect on the drivers; causing a great deal of glare.
Lap 167, Will Byron leads the race with Kevin Harvick in second; Ryan Blaney, Aric Almirola, and Christopher Bell round out the top five.
Lap 173, William Byron leads the race with Kevin Harvick in second.
AMS has hosted races every year since 1960 – over 100 races -; today they have set a record for the number of race leaders.
Lap 181, William Byron leads the race with Christopher Bell in second; Ryan Blaney, Kevin Harvick, and Aric Almirola round out the top five.
After a big slide, Kyle Busch comes down pit road and takes his car to the garage.
Lap 184, Ryan Blaney takes the lead with Ricky Stenhouse Jr in second; setting another record for lead changes.
Lap 185, Ricky Stenhouse Jr takes the lead.
Lap 188, the top five are Ricky Stenhouse Jr, Ryan Blaney, Christopher Bell, Daniel Suarez, and William Byron.
Fortunately for Daniel Suarez, it is not a very hot day; his cool suit is not working.
There has been over 36 lead changes among 17 different drivers and there are still 13 laps remaining in stage two.
Lap 198, the top five are Ricky Stenhouse Jr, Ryan Blaney, Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson, and Denny Hamlin.
There are 25 cars on the lead lap.
Leader Ricky Stenhouse Jr blows a tire and brings out the caution flag. He hits the wall and then slams into Austin Cindric. Kevin Harvick makes contact with Erik Jones as they try and avoid the crash. Daniel Suarez was also involved in the melee.
Ryan Blaney takes the lead.
Once pit road opens, the first eight drivers stay out on the track with the remainder of the field coming down pit road for service.
Ryan Blaney brings the field down for the green flag restart with just three laps remaining in stage two. Kyle Larson takes the lead with Chase Elliott in second.
Christopher Bell was charged with leaving his pit box with equipment and had to restart the race from the back of the field.
Stage two will end under caution after Kyle Larson wrecks. Kenny Hamlin gave him a bit push, locking on and Larson gets turned around. Chase Elliott’s car also got hit by Larson.
Ryan Blaney wins stage two for his second stage win of the season.
The top 10 at the end of stage two:
Ryan Blaney
Chase Elliott
Chris Buescher
Aric Almirola
Brad Keselowski
Daneil Suarez
Martin Truex Jr
Bubba Wallace
William Byron
Ross Chastain
Alex Bowman is the “lucky dog”.
There are 23 cars on the lead lap.
Drivers come down pit road for service with William Byron winning the race off of pit road after taking fuel only.
After staying out on the track, Daniel Suarez becomes the leader; setting a new record for being the 18th leader of the race…so far.
Denny Hamlin is out of the race due to crash damage.
Daniel Suarez brings the field down for the green falg start of stage three on lap 215.
Daniel Suarez leads the race with Martin Truex Jr in second; Bubba Wallace, Christopher Bell, and Kurt Busch round out the top five.
Kyle Larson has taken his car the garage.
Leaders have gotten single file with Daniel Suarez leading the way.
With 100 laps remaining in the race, there are nine drivers out of the race.
Lap 225, Daniel Suarez and Martin Truex Jr battle for the lead with Truex taking the lead.
Lap 226, the top five are Martin Truex Jr, Bubba Wallace, Chase Elliott, Daniel Suarez, and Joey Logano.
Bubba Wallace takes the lead briefly before Martin Truex Jr takes back the lead.
Chase Elliott battles with Martin Truex Jr for the lead.
With 95 laps to go, Chase Elliott is the new leader after a push from Daniel Suarez.
Lap 232, Martin Truex Jr is the leader but Chase Elliott comes up from the outside to take the lead. The duo continues to battle back and forth for the lead.
With 90 to go, Chase Elliott and Martin Truex Jr continue to battle for the lead; Daniel Suarez, Bubba Wallace, and Christopher Bell round out the top five.
Lap 238, Chase Elliott leads the race with Daniel Suarez in second; Martin Truex Jr, Christopher Bell, and Chase Briscoe round out the top five.
Lap 246, Chase Elliott leads the race with Daniel Suarez in second; Christopher Bell, Chase Briscvoe, and William Byron round out the top five.
Drivers have gotten single file through the field.
The ninth caution of the day comes out on lap 254 for debris on the track.
The drivers are on the edge of their pit window to make it to the end of the race on fuel.
David Ragan is the “lucky dog”.
Drivers come down pit road for service and will pack the fuel cell. Taking only two tires, Aric Almirola wins the race off of pit road.
Aric Almirola brings the field down for the green flag restart with 66 laps remaining in the race with William Byron alongside. Almirola gets out in front for the lead after a push from bubba Wallace, but William Byron gets a push from Ryan Blaney to battle for the lead.
Lap 260, Aric Almirola and William Byron continue to battle for the lead.
William Byron takes the lead with Aric Almirola in second; Bubba Wallace, Ryan Blaney, and Erik Jones round out the top five.
Sixty to go, William Byron leads the race with Bubba Wallace in second; Ryan Blaney, Aric Almirola, and Martin Treux Jr round out the top five.
Alex Bowman is reporting a vibration. The crew reports that all the lug nuts are tight.
Martin Truex Jr falls out of the top 10.
With 55 laps to go, William Byron leads the race with Bubba Wallace in second; Ryan Blaney, Aric Almirola, and Chase Briscoe round out the top five.
Fifty to go, William Byron leads the way with Bubba Wallace in second; Ryan Blaney, Aric Almirola, and Erik Jones round out the top five.
With 43 laps remaining in the race, William Byron continues to lead the race with Bubba Wallace n second; Ryan Blaney, Aric Almirola, and Erik Jones round out the top five.
Bubba Wallace’s crew chief tells him to keep it below 90 percent in order to save fuel.
There are 34 laps remaining in the race, William Byron holds on to the lead for the longest stint of the day with Bubba Wallace in second; Ryan Blaney, Aric Almirola, and Erik Jones round out the top five.
Lap 297, the drivers are getting double file in preparation of making a run for the lead…and the win.
Lap 300, drivers are now getting three wide. Todd Gilliland gets loose and hits the wall and brings out the tenth caution flag of the day. Cody Ware gets turned around and hits the inside wall hard.
Another record falls at AMS, a total of 27 cars have been involved in a wreck today, breaking the old record of 24 that has stood for 60 years!
Drivers come down pit road for service with Martin Truex Jr winning the race off of pit road.
After staying out on the track, William Byron brings the field down down for the green flag restart from the inside lane with Bubba Wallace alongside. Bubba Wallace edges out for the lead initially but William Byron comes up from the inside to get out in front.
David Ragan was charged with a safety violation during his pit stop.
Aric Almirola spins out and makes a run through the grass which brings out the eleventh caution flag of the day with 18 laps to go.
William Byron brings the field down for the green flag restart from the inside lane with 14 laps remaining in the race. William Byron edges out for the lead after a push form Erik Jones. Bubba Wallace gets a push from Ryan Blaney and comes up to battle for the lead.
Bubba Wallace takes the lead with 12 laps to go.
Bubba Wallace leads the race with William Byron in second; Ryan Blaney, Erik Jones, and Ross Chastain round out the top five.
Ten to go, William Byron and Bubba Wallace battle for the lead with Byron getting out in front.
Drivers are getting three wide with eight laps to go in a battle for position.
Seven to go, the top five are William Byron, Bubba Wallace, Ryan Blaney, Ross Chastain, and Chase Elliott.
Five to go, William Byron is in the lead with Bubba Wallace in second.
William Byron takes the white flag.
Big wreck as drivers cross the finish line! Justin Haley, Chris Buescher, and Bubba Wallace were involved. Ryan Blaney and Chase Briscoe also got into the wall on the final lap.
William Byron wins the race. When Byron took the lead for the last time, he set another new record for the most lead changes with 46 by 20 drivers.
Byron’s win gives Hendrick Motorsport its third win of the season from three different drivers.
On the final lap Christopher Bell went below the red and white “no go” line and has been moved to the back of the field. Like Daytona and Talladega, the double line means a driver cannot go onto the apron or force another driver down below the line.
The unofficial results of the Folds of Honor Quiktrip 500:
William Byron
Ross Chastain
Kurt Busch
Daniel Suarez
Corey LaJoie
Chase Elliott
Chris Buescher
Martin Truex Jr
Joey Logano
Alex Bowman
Justin Haley
Brad Keselowski
Bubba Wallace
Erik Jones
Chase Briscoe
Josh Bilicki
Ryan Blaney
David Ragan
BJ McLeod
Greg Biffle
Kevin Harvicki
Aric Almirola
Christopher Bell
Michael McDowell
Harrison Burton
Cody Ware
Todd Gilliland
Tyler Reddick
Denny Hamlin
Kyle Larson
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Austin Cindric
Kyle Busch
Cole Custer
Austin Dillon
Ty Dillon
Noah Gragson