It took a long time thanks to an extended weather delay and a number of cautions, but Nick Sanchez can finally say he is a NASCAR Xfinity Series winner.
The rookie driver grabbed his first Xfinity Series win at Echo Park Speedway in Atlanta in a race that started on Friday (June 27) but ended very early on Saturday (June 28).
Sanchez made a late pass on Jesse Love and held off Carson Kvapil to win his first race with Big Machine Racing.
Nick Sanchez gets his first career #XfinitySeries win! pic.twitter.com/0R15dhgUwx
— The CW Sports (@TheCW_Sports) June 28, 2025
“I’m going to be honest, this is a reminder of my 2023 debut here in a truck” Sanchez said post-race. “I spun and I finished second, now I spun and I won. We’ve so close the last couple weeks and its every little thing that could go wrong. To come back and get a win is amazing.
“I’m still a little embarrassed about [the spin]. That’s truly a rookie mistake, but we rebounded and just an awesome car. The team did amazing”
Kvapil’s late charge wasn’t enough, forcing him to settle for second. Sam Mayer took third, with Connor Zilisch finishing fourth and Taylor Gray completing the top five.
The first caution for incident came early after Christian Eckes made contact with Blaine Perkins in turn 3. Perkins spun, collecting multiple competitors including Eckes, William Sawalich, Josh Williams and Parker Retzlaff.
The yellow flag is out early after the Nos. 16 and 31 make contact, resulting in damage to multiple cars. pic.twitter.com/DaJtmYtAVN
— NASCAR Xfinity (@NASCAR_Xfinity) June 28, 2025
On the following restart, Austin Hill fell back with a fuel pressure issue as many of the leaders started to run single file. Hill continued to ride around slowly before he was forced to pit midway through stage one to assess the issue. Hill’s chances of four Atlanta wins in a row were dashed as a result.
A caution fell before the conclusion of stage one due to weather, which led to cars being brought down pit road for an extended delay.
After a long wait, many of the leaders pitted, handing the lead to Mayer with five to go in stage one.
As the race restarted, a caution fell after Love made an aggressive move to get around Mayer with a push from Sanchez. Love was then hooked by Sanchez, causing a multi-car pile-up collecting Sheldon Creed, Justin Allgaier, Sammy Smith and several others.
We are back underway at @EchoParkSpdwy, but there's trouble down the backstretch. pic.twitter.com/hBniHzDP4c
— NASCAR Xfinity (@NASCAR_Xfinity) June 28, 2025
The stage ended under caution with Taylor Gray collecting his first stage win of his career.
Zilisch and Kvapil restarted stage two on the front row, swapping the lead as the field ran double file behind. As the stage progressed, Zilisch surged ahead with Kvapil following.
A caution followed as Sanchez made contact with the left side of Matt DiBenedetto, causing Sanchez to spin through the grass.
Zilisch resumed the race front with the top four single file behind and Love trying to pull the bottom lane toward the front. Love made it up to third and tried to pull in front of Harrison Burton, who didn’t give ground, was forced to back off, causing him to spin off the front of Leland Honeyman.
Caution late in Stage 2 following this incident. ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/3VaNZt3ONx
— NASCAR Xfinity (@NASCAR_Xfinity) June 28, 2025
A caution followed once again as Jeremy Clements spun after contact from Brennan Poole. The second stage ended under caution as a result, with Brandon Jones collecting the stage win.
State three restarted with Aric Almirola surging in front of teammate Gray as the field followed behind single file. The field remained calm before a caution came for a spinning CJ McLaughlin.
After split strategies and a quick debris caution, Almirola and Sanchez battled for the top spot before Sanchez pulled ahead with 20 to go. As Sanchez cleared Almirola, Love joined the fight with help from Zilisch.
After another caution for debris, Sanchez and Love lined up on the front row with seven laps to go with Love pulling ahead with help from Kvapil.
Love’s time up front was short-lived as Sanchez pulled low into turn 1 to retake the lead. The move for Sanchez helped him capture the win and a playoff birth for Big Machine Racing.
NASCAR Xfinity Series Results: Atlanta
The NASCAR Xfinity Series next heads to the streets of Chicago on Saturday (July 5). Coverage begins at 4:30 p.m. ET on The CW.
