HAMPTON, Ga. — A late brush with the wall wasn’t enough to send Ryan Blaney to pit row.<\/p>\n
The decision paid off with a dominant victory.<\/p>\n
Blaney emerged from a three-wide battle on the final lap of overtime in the weather-delayed NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta early Monday.<\/p>\n
Blaney won every stage of the race and led 171 laps after starting on the pole, but the Team Penske Ford driver had to fight off challenges from Bubba Wallace and Christopher Hill, who finished second, on the final lap. Carson Hocevar and Ty Gibbs rounded out the top four. <\/p>\n
Wallace was penalized for passing below the double yellow lines and finished 29th instead of second.<\/p>\n
There was a delay of 3 hours, 9 minutes because of rain and lightning. The raced ended at 1:45 a.m. at EchoPark Speedway.<\/p>\n
Blaney won the first two stages but brushed the wall with 29 laps remaining, causing possible damage on his right side, after he was cut off by Wallace. Blaney remained on the track despite telling his crew he felt a \u201cterrible\u201d vibration.<\/p>\n
\u201cI tried to make a move and just got loose and hit the fence,\u201d Blaney said. \u201cYou know I think it\u2019s just concrete in the wheels and paint and stuff like that but luckily it still drove really decent. … It wasn\u2019t too bad. Luckily it wasn\u2019t enough damage we couldn\u2019t keep running.\u201d<\/p>\n
Blaney’s crew chief Jonathan Hassler said his team was able to view photos of the right side of the car and determine the best chance to win was to remain on the track.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere were 30 cars on the lead lap at that point and not a lot of laps left,’ Hassler said. \u201dOur best chance to win was to stay out there.”<\/p>\n
Multiple drivers, including Kyle Larson, Chase Briscoe and Riley Herbst, were involved in a wreck with five laps remaining to set up the overtime. <\/p>\n
There had been concern about approaching rain before lighting within eight miles of the 1.54-mile oval track near Atlanta led NASCAR officials to order cars off the track and advise fans to exit the grandstand. Rain began soon after the race was delayed. Following some caution laps and pit stops, the race went back to green at 12:02 a.m.<\/p>\n
Blaney said he \u201ctook a nap and ate a little food\u201d during the delay. Larson said the resumption of the race a few minutes before midnight \u201cis definitely past my bedtime.\u201d<\/p>\n
Blaney won the pole<\/a> and his Team Penske teammate Joey Logano joined him on the front row. A third Team Penske driver, Austin Cindric, moved up to third early in the race for an early strong showing for the Fords.<\/p>\n Cup Series points leader Denny Hamlin, who qualified 28th, finished 12th. Tyler Reddick was eighth.<\/p>\n Reddick, who won at EchoPark Speedway<\/a> in February as part of his string of five wins in the season’s first nine races, qualified only 31st on Saturday. By the 35th lap he already had moved up to fourth, proving early that he again would be a factor in Atlanta.<\/p>\n The weather delay was the first caution for cause in the race, a dramatic departure from the weekend\u2019s first race.<\/p>\n There were a track-record 13 cautions in Saturday night\u2019s O\u2019Reilly Auto Parts Series race won by Justin Allgaier. That total included four red flag incidents, creating an ominous preview for the Cup Series race.<\/p>\n The first caution for an incident on the track in the Cup Series race came when AJ Allmendinger lost control of his Chevrolet with 67 laps remaining. Allmendinger blew a tire and hit the wall with 25 laps remaining to cause another caution.<\/p>\n This was Chase Elliott\u2019s 10th year of his Design to Drive program with Children\u2019s Healthcare of Atlanta. He gave credit to the baseball-themed design of his No. 9 Chevrolet to two patients, 8-year-old Maximus Peace and 9-year-old Noelle Springer.<\/p>\n The program raised $545,500 for Children\u2019s Healthcare of Atlanta in its first nine years. Elliott finished 13th.<\/p>\n Blaney\u2019s Stage 1 win gave Team Penske Fords yet another strong start in Atlanta. Team Penske drivers have won Stage 1 in six of the last eight races at the track.<\/p>\n Blaney held off Reddick, who finished second in the first stage after qualifying 31st.<\/p>\n The Cup Series moves to North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, next weekend. Christopher Bell edged Joey Logano at North Wilkesboro Speedway in the NASCAR All-Star Race<\/a> on May 18, 2025.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n