The second race of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Sequence marketing campaign delivered an electrical time beyond regulation end at Atlanta Motor Speedway, delivering Christopher Bell his first win of the brand new 12 months.
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Some notable drivers mastered the draft to their benefit in Sunday’s Ambetter Well being 400, however others left in a gap forward of Circuit of The Americas, the place the Cup circuit heads subsequent Sunday (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
THREE UP ⬆️
1. Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Began: seventeenth
Completed: third
What occurred: Larson has dealt with a fair proportion of criticism for his lack of success at drafting-style tracks within the week since a Twentieth-place end within the Daytona 500. He erased that with a mighty third-place end Sunday, simply inches shy of nabbing the win over Christopher Bell and Carson Hocevar when the warning flag flew in time beyond regulation.
What’s subsequent: A brand new structure at COTA will current a brand new problem for all the Cup area, however Larson’s outcomes on the street course in Austin, Texas, haven’t been nice within the Subsequent Gen automobile. Since 2022, Larson’s finest end at COTA is 14th (2023), reflective of his common beginning spot of 13.6 in his final three begins there.
2. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet
Began: thirty fourth
Completed: fifth
What occurred: Regardless of contact with Chase Briscoe and Chase Elliott in Stage 2, Stenhouse powered to his first top-five end of 2025 with a powerful run for Hyak Motorsports at Atlanta. Stenhouse labored his technique to the entrance late after averaging an 18.36 working place, in keeping with NASCAR’s loop knowledge, rebounding nicely from a poor qualifying effort.
What’s subsequent: Stenhouse has by no means excelled at street programs however had a decent seventh-place exhibiting at COTA in 2023. Nevertheless, his different two Austin begins within the Subsequent Gen automobile have produced finishes exterior the highest 25.
3. Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports
Began: twenty fourth
Completed: thirteenth
What occurred: McDowell and his group pulled off some of the spectacular comebacks so far. After going to the storage early for a damaged power-steering hose, the No. 71 went to the storage, repaired the problem and returned to the observe six laps down. McDowell tied a report by receiving the free move to get a lap again six instances Sunday, in keeping with Racing Insights, permitting the 2021 Daytona 500 champ again onto the lead lap and right into a top-20 ending place after spending 122 of Sunday’s 266 laps off the lead lap.
What’s subsequent: McDowell is a menace to win when NASCAR heads to a street course, as evidenced by his 2023 win on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway street course. A mechanical problem thwarted him final season, however he returns to the course in 2025 with a brand new group and with a brand new structure forward.
THREE DOWN ⬇️
1. Austin Cindric, No. 2 Crew Penske Ford
Began: 2nd
Completed: twenty eighth
What occurred: Cindric was in the precise place however on the fallacious time yet again in Atlanta. Cindric led 46 laps Sunday and was out entrance when Larson tried to clear him for the highest spot with three laps remaining. However on the exit of Flip 2, Larson washed Cindric into the skin wall, bouncing his Ford into the trail of William Byron and sending each right into a slide and into the within SAFER barrier. He was unable to proceed and completed twenty eighth.
What’s subsequent: COTA has been good to the 2022 Daytona 500 champion, who has top-10 finishes in two of his final three begins in Austin, Texas. Cindric was out entrance on the ultimate lap of this 12 months’s “Nice American Race” too, so he’s simply hoping for a end relative to his dominant 5.4 common working place — better of the Cup Sequence by a whopping 4 spots over teammate Ryan Blaney.
2. Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Began: thirteenth
Completed: twenty sixth
What occurred: A robust day rapidly went south for Bowman on the southern 1.54-mile superspeedway. Chris Buescher was despatched spinning off Flip 4 after a stack-up in entrance of him prompted a major slowdown. Buescher’s No. 17 Ford landed proper within the nostril of Bowman’s No. 48 Chevy, creating harm to Bowman’s automobile that he might by no means overcome.
What’s subsequent: Bowman’s most up-to-date race win got here on the Chicago Road Course in July 2024, so there’s no worry in any proper turns forward for this bunch. If anybody is upset that COTA is getting a structure change, it could be Bowman, who has finishes of second, third and fourth in his final three COTA begins, all within the Subsequent Gen automobile.
3. Brad Keselowski, No. 6 RFK Racing Ford
Began: ninth
Completed: thirty ninth
What occurred: Usually a drafting ace, Keselowski discovered no luck Sunday at Atlanta when Chase Elliott was put into the wall as a sufferer of Stenhouse’s contact with Briscoe. Elliott broke a right-rear toe hyperlink, misplaced management and spun proper in entrance of Keselowski, leaving the 2012 champion with nowhere to go.
What’s subsequent: Opposite to Bowman, maybe Keselowski is wanting ahead to new twists and turns at COTA. Earlier begins haven’t gone nicely for Keselowski, who has completed thirty third (2024) and thirty fifth (2023) in his final two journeys to Austin.
