The NASCAR Cup Series had its second stop of the 2025 season on Sunday afternoon, and it was Christopher Bell that took home the checkered flag at Atlanta Motor Speedway in the Ambetter Health 400.
All eyes were on the Ford Mustangs early on, as the “Blue Ovals” occupied 10 of the top 11 starting spots on the grid.
Despite Ryan Blaney starting on the pole, it was Josh Berry, now driving for the Wood Brothers in the #21 car, who dominated the first stage. He led half of the stage one laps and secured the playoff point by winning the stage.
During stage two, a couple of drivers found some issues on the track. Erik Jones was involved in an incident and went for a spin. Additionally, Todd Gilliland, who had been running in the top five most of the afternoon, cut down a tire and eventually brought out a caution. He went one lap down as a result. Lastly, Chase Elliott and Brad Keselowski, two big contenders, both got big damage in a wreck that also saw Ricky Stenhouse Jr involved.
By the end of stage two, Ford’s dominance took a break. The Chevrolet of Kyle Larson took the lead, and managed to close out the stage win.
The final stage saw a couple more big wrecks, as the close natured racing of Atlanta Motor Speedway continued to affect things. Alex Bowman, Chris Buescher, Ty Gibbs, and more were caught up in incidents.
As the intensity ramped up late, Blaney was spun out by Carson Hocevar. However, Blaney quickly worked his way back up into the top ten after the restart. With the lead exchanging hands late, Austin Cindric and last week’s Daytona 500 winner William Byron both spun and wrecked, ending their chances to take the race.
After a late restart, things were shaping up for another classic Atlanta finish. Hocevar was battling Larson and Bell. However, before they could get to the line, a wreck happened mid pack. Bell was ahead at the time of the caution, declaring him the race winner.