More
    HomeSportsNASCAR: Christopher Bell wins with last-lap pass at Atlanta

    NASCAR: Christopher Bell wins with last-lap pass at Atlanta

    Published on

    Christopher Bell won Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta with a last-lap pass before a crash on the backstretch.

    Bell passed Kyle Larson on the last lap and finished ahead of Larson and Carson Hocevar as Josh Berry got crashed on the final lap when he was squeezed in the middle of a three-wide scenario. The caution came out before the finish line a day after NASCAR race control didn’t throw a caution for a large crash on the final lap in the Xfinity Series event.

    In the drivers’ meeting ahead of Sunday’s race, NASCAR admitted it erred in not throwing the caution on Saturday because of the size of the crash. The Daytona 500 also ended under green after a crash on the backstretch on the final lap.

    The win is the 10th of Bell’s Cup Series career and his first at a drafting track.

    HAMPTON, GEORGIA - FEBRUARY 23: Christopher Bell, driver of the #20 DEWALT Toyota, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on February 23, 2025 in Hampton, Georgia. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)

    Christopher Bell passed Kyle Larson on the last lap at Atlanta. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)

    The final lap was his only lap led as well. As Ford drivers got nine of the top 10 starting positions in qualifying, Toyota drivers qualified far behind and clearly had cars set up for maneuverability. Bell used that to his advantage as he worked his way up to the front in the final stage to set himself up for the win.

    Bell passed Larson on a green-white-checker finish that was set up by a crash at the front of the field. Larson tried to move up ahead of Austin Cindric while making a pass for the lead but wasn’t clear. That forced Cindric into the wall, and Larson’s teammate and Daytona 500 winner William Byron then slid up into Cindric. That sent both Byron and Cindric crashing into the inside wall.

    Hocevar ended up getting a career-best finish of second after he drew the ire of several drivers throughout the race. Ryan Blaney went spinning off his bumper in the final stage and was one of multiple drivers to talk to Hocevar on pit road after the race.

    Blaney came back to finish fourth thanks to the fresh tires his team put on his car after that spin.

    Sunday’s race was a far better display of drafting-style racing than Daytona was a week ago. Drivers had to manage the handling of their cars on worn tires and racecraft felt like it was much more of a priority than at Daytona where wrecks reigned supreme.

    The race was also another example of how far Fox’s coverage standards have fallen since the network started broadcasting NASCAR races 25 years ago. The production of Sunday’s race was haphazard at best, and the booth struggled to follow the relevant storylines unfolding throughout the race.

    There was even an extremely awkward moment in the final stage of the race. The broadcast was in the midst of a Toyota-sponsored segment when Toyota driver Chase Briscoe hit the wall to trigger a multi-car crash on the frontstretch. As the crash unfolded live, the sponsored segment went on. Fans were forced to see replays of the crash after the segment ended after play-by-play announcer Mike Joy informed the viewing audience that a wreck had happened.

    The network’s coverage is even getting lapped by the CW’s entry into NASCAR. The CW has the rights to the Xfinity Series and the production for its races is largely being done by NASCAR. But the CW booth of Adam Alexander — the former Xfinity Series voice for Fox — and former drivers Parker Kligerman and Jamie McMurray already provides much more insight and a coherent conversation than Joy, Clint Bowyer and Kevin Harvick.

    Harvick is a great analyst in his own right. But he and NASCAR fans are being done a disservice with the current quality of Fox’s coverage. And given that Fox just re-upped with NASCAR to continue broadcasting races, it’s hard to see when the network’s coverage will improve.

    1. Christopher Bell

    2. Carson Hocevar

    3. Kyle Larson

    4. Ryan Blaney

    5. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

    6. Denny Hamlin

    7. Kyle Busch

    8. Ross Chastain

    9. Bubba Wallace

    10. John Hunter Nemechek

    11. Joey Logano

    12. Zane Smith

    13. Michael McDowell

    14. AJ Allmendinger

    15. Todd Gilliland

    16. Austin Dillon

    17. Riley Herbst

    18. Chase Elliott

    19. Ryan Preece

    20. Tyler Reddick

    21. Chase Briscoe

    22. BJ McLeod

    23. Shane van Gisbergen

    24. Justin Haley

    25. Josh Berry

    26. Alex Bowman

    27. William Byron

    28. Austin Cindric

    29. Ty Dillon

    30. Chris Buescher

    31. Erik Jones

    32. Ty Gibbs

    33. Daniel Suarez

    34. Noah Gragson

    35. Cody Ware

    36. Cole Custer

    37. JJ Yeley

    38. Corey LaJoie

    39. Brad Keselowski

    Source link

    Latest articles

    Spirit Airlines fate shaky after avoiding hard decisions in bankruptcy

    A Spirit Airlines plane takes off from Oakland International Airport on May 06, 2024...

    Ayesha Curry says Stephen Curry wanted to be a high school coach

    Imagine a world where Stephen Curry, the best 3-point shooter of all time, didn't...

    Riz Ahmed recalls his “worst audition” ever, real-life meet cute with wife and more

    Oscar winner Riz Ahmed's family always knew he was destined...

    More like this

    Spirit Airlines fate shaky after avoiding hard decisions in bankruptcy

    A Spirit Airlines plane takes off from Oakland International Airport on May 06, 2024...

    Ayesha Curry says Stephen Curry wanted to be a high school coach

    Imagine a world where Stephen Curry, the best 3-point shooter of all time, didn't...