What Happened?
A Team Penske vs. Trackhouse Racing duel in overtime went to teammates Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney, as Blaney pushed Logano into the lead and into the Round of 12 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday (Sept. 8).
Logano prevailed over Daniel Suarez, who was initially scored ahead of Blaney when a caution flew on the final lap.
Logano earned his 34th career win, and the No. 22 has won two of the last four at Atlanta. Ford continues its streak, winning its third consecutive race.
What Really Happened?
The Next Gen superspeedway era tends to produce side-by-side racing that can look intriguing but truly lacks action because the drivers are saving fuel rather than racing. This especially applies to Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway, but not Atlanta.
Even the single-file racing in the first stage had its own excitement because drivers could play leapfrog and pop out of line without fear of being shuffled too far back in the field. That led to a lot of passing, especially as handling came into play during the run.
At Atlanta, drivers can’t necessarily hold the throttle wide open, especially not in the pack. That opens gaps and allows guys to slide in-between lanes, generate runs and hop back out of line to make moves.
As the race progressed, these moves became riskier, which only upped the intensity. However, one area that stayed completely unaffected by the strong pushes and aggressive moves was the very front of the field.
While drivers back in the pack bobbed and weaved, the front two to three rows during a run would stay fairly unchanged. For example, when Austin Cindric got the lead in the second stage, he didn’t have to do any blocking because he never faced any challenge from behind.
Sure, Cindric had Blaney, a teammate, taking care of him. It just seemed like the outside line of Alex Bowman and William Byron could never present a real challenge to the No. 2.
The lifting made for exciting runs and passes in the pack, but any time Byron would have a run to start pushing Bowman forward, all momentum would disappear as soon as the cars got to the corner, and guys had to start lifting.
And it wasn’t just a teammate thing — or a fuel thing. Toward the end of the race, Chase Elliott could just barely get Byron alongside leader Kyle Busch, then the No. 24 would drop back in the corner while Busch stayed low and stayed clear.
Still, while the battle for the lead became nonexistent after one driver got clear, the race overall had plenty of excitement. The visuals of a pack of cars slinging through the corners in Atlanta continues to feel strange yet entertaining.
Despite all of the chaotic mid-pack action, the drivers somehow were able to keep things pretty clean. Ultimately, once a leader established himself at the front as parade master with 37 other floats behind him, this race felt like the fastest and most intense parade in the world.
Who Stood Out?
Not only did Quaker State sponsor the race, it had logos on two of the fastest race cars in Atlanta. All eyes focused on Suarez after the No. 99 won the spring race in dramatic fashion.
Suarez has an incredible track record on the superspeedway version of Atlanta, and he’s gained some momentum with solid runs late in the summer. The confidence was evident this weekend. Unfortunately, Trackhouse lost the duel against Penske, but Suarez finished in the top two for the third consecutive Atlanta race.
Cindric had the other Quaker State logo on his hood, and he treated his No. 2 Ford to a great show in the early and middle portions of the race. While he finished a few spots behind his teammates in 10th, Cindric still won a stage and finished second in the other, leading a race-high 92 laps.
I know some people hate to hear the phrase ‘great points day,’ but that’s exactly what Cindric had as he leaves Atlanta 27 points above the cutline.
Who Fell Flat?
As good as Suarez has been at Atlanta, Kyle Larson has been the exact opposite. Larson has crashed in every race on the repave, including five DNFs in the six races. The beauty of the playoffs, though, is that Larson entered as the top seed. He definitely used up his buffer, but Larson happens to be pretty good at both Watkins Glen International and Bristol Motor Speedway.
Still, it’s not a good look for ‘the best driver in the world’ to lose it on his own and take a massive hit. Not to pile on, but since Larson made those comments before Michigan International Speedway, he’s crashed in three of the four races.
Disappointing Denny Hamlin struck again. Once a superspeedway ace, Hamlin’s cautious strategy simply does not work in the Next Gen era. It’s too difficult to try and pass, and track position at the superspeedways is more important than ever.
Hamlin’s weekend started off rough with a sour engine, but his decision to ride around the first three quarters of the race was questionable as well. Ultimately, he still got collected in the last-lap crash and was credited 24th, leaving Atlanta just two points above the playoff cut line.
Better Than Last Time?
Whether comparing to the three-wide finish from this past spring, or even comparing to the rain-shortened 2023 Quaker State 400 on a summer night, the action this weekend did not quite match up.
Something about the nighttime allows superspeedway Atlanta to become really racy and really fun. The day races lead to more lifting and a lot of mid-pack shifts, but the battles for the lead lacked any energy until the final few laps.
It’s been a fun experiment, but it’s time to start testing unrestricted cars around this repave. That would be best for the Cup Series, Xfinity Series and the fans.
Paint Scheme of the Race
The purple popped on Josh Berry’s Stewart-Haas Racing machine, helping it to stand out nicely against the green walls around Atlanta.
But the best scheme of the week has to go to the No. 99 team with help from the driver himself. Of the schemes that have tried to honor Suarez and his heritage, this is the coolest, because the sponsor and team allowed the driver to give his own input.
What’s Next?
For the first time, Watkins Glen will host a playoff race on Sunday, Sept. 15. Coverage for the Go Bowling at the Glen starts at 3:00 p.m. ET on USA Network.
Caleb began sports writing in 2023 with The Liberty Champion, where he officially covered his first NASCAR race at Richmond in the spring. While there, Caleb met some of the guys from Frontstretch, and he joined the video editing team after graduating from Liberty University with degrees in Strategic Communications and Sports Journalism. Caleb currently work full-time as a Multi-Media Journalist with LEX 18 News in Lexington, Kentucky and contributes to Frontstretch with writing and video editing. He's also behind-the-scenes or on camera for the Happy Hour Podcast, live every Tuesday night at 7:30!