2023 NASCAR Atlanta (Spring) Recap

The fifth week of the NASCAR Season took place at Atlanta Motor Speedway for all three national series as many were curious to see how different the track would feel since the reconfigured track debuted a year ago.

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: Fr8Auctions 208

For the Craftsman Truck Series, it was a special win for Christian Eckes and Bill McAnally, giving Eckes his second career truck series victory and McAnally-Higlemann Racing their first win as a team in the truck series. Eckes has had a solid start to the 2023 season with a sixth-place finish in Daytona, a third-place finish at Las Vegas, and now a victory at Atlanta. This victory was certainly not an easy one, as Eckes led the first 30 laps to a stage win, but was then hit with a speeding penalty on pit road and had to spend the rest of the race working his way to the front. Eckes eventually found himself on the front row for an overtime restart on lap 136 of 137. He lined up alongside Nick Sanchez, who was chasing his first career win. Eckes was able to surge ahead with a big push from Ben Rhodes and had the lead when a wreck occurred on the final lap in turn four, giving Eckes the win. 

“It’s been a tough offseason,” said Eckes after the race. “I’m driving harder than I ever have – I have a lot to prove. The people know who they are.

“I’m really happy. Thanks to crew chief Charles Denike, and everybody on this team. They work so damn hard. This is what makes it all worth it. I’m pumped. It’s going to be a really good year.”

Nick Sanchez finished in second, and John Hunter Nemechek finished in third after leading a race-high 53 laps but was shuffled back after a restart on lap 121.

“I feel like I was a little slow to react to my spotter,” Sanchez said. “Just learning, learning where these trucks are. I could have done a better job reacting to the 19 [Christian Eckes] and probably should have blocked top-ish. … I let him get back to my quarter and he dragged me back. It was close. It was really, really close.”

It was also a big day for Bayley Currey, who finished in fourth, earning his first ever top five in a NASCAR National Series race. Ben Rhodes, who gave Eckes the push to the win, finished fifth. Matt DiBenedetto, Chase Purdy, Timmy Hill, Matt Crafton, and Jack Wood finished out the top ten. For Jack Wood, it was a good comeback after being turned from the lead late in the race. The race also had a record 11 cautions for 58 laps.

NASCAR Xfinity Series: Raptor King of Tough 250

Right after the truck race was the NASCAR Xfinity Series race, which featured a very chaotic first two stages. However, in a calmer third stage, it was all Austin Hill, continuing his hot start to the 2023 season, now winning 3 of the first 5 races of the season. Hill won at Daytona and Las Vegas as well. The Georgia native led for a race-high of 103 laps in dominating fashion in a race that featured a record 12 cautions for 68 laps.

On an overtime restart, Parker Kligerman was in contention for his first career Xfinity Series victory until being turned by Daniel Hemric coming to the checkered flag, also hitting the right rear of Hill’s No. 21 Chevrolet, even though it didn’t faze him as he won the race. Hemric went on to finish second, while Ryan Truex took third away from Kligerman at the line. 

“They knew we were here,” Kligerman radioed to his team after the finish.

“I have no idea how I saved it coming to the line,” Hill said in his post-race interview. “What a start to the season. Everybody at Richard Childress Racing, ECR engines – we’ve just had such a fast start with Chevrolet. This has been special, for sure.”

Riley Herbst was fifth and Brett Moffitt, Josh Berry, John Hunter Nemechek, Sam Mayer, and Justin Haley rounded out the top ten.

One of the biggest headliners from the race involved the driver of the No. 92 DGM Chevrolet, Josh Williams, as he had sustained damage from a lap 27 incident with the No. 02 Chevrolet of Kyle Weatherman. Williams then dropped debris on the front stretch to cause the fourth caution of the race, just moments after a restart on Lap 32. NASCAR officials parked him under the Damaged Vehicle Policy. 

Instead of taking his car to the garage, Williams parked his car on the apron at the start/finish line and got out of his car, waving to the fans and walking away. This resulted in Williams being ordered to the NASCAR haulers to discuss the incident. 

“A long time ago when I was younger, I had something similar happen to me at a short track,” Williams said after emerging from the Xfinity Series hauler. “I stopped on the front stretch underneath the flag stand and got out, and there wasn’t one person sitting in their seat. So I didn’t do it to be spiteful or to make a huge scene and cause every one of y’all (reporters) to stand here, I just wanted to voice my opinion. I felt that it wasn’t right, but it’s in the rule book.”

Since then, Josh Williams has been suspended for one race and will miss COTA this coming weekend. He will return at Richmond the following week.

NASCAR Cup Series: Ambetter Health 400

The NASCAR Cup Series concluded the weekend on Sunday on what was a rather chilly day. Tyler Reddick was feeling under the weather before the race, as John Hunter Nemechek was on standby to drive the No. 45 Toyota if needed, but Reddick was able to run the entire race.

The first two stages of the race were all green with Joey Logano winning stage one, and Austin Cindric winning stage two. In the end, however, it was a battle between two former teammates. Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano. Logano also led for 141 of the 260 laps in the race.

In the closing laps of the Ambetter Health 400, Keselowski was leading the race in his No. 6 Ford for RFK Racing, looking to earn his first win since April 2021 at Talladega, when he was still driving for Team Penske. On the final lap, Joey Logano received a major push from Christopher Bell that helped Logano surge his No. 22 Ford past Keselowski to win at Atlanta. For Logano, this win was special for him. The reasoning was that he and his family moved to Georgia when he was a child, where he competed in Legends races at Atlanta Motor Speedway as a child who dreamed of driving on the big track.

“It was lane versus lane, that’s what it was, inside versus outside,” Logano said about the race.

“We’ve been so close so many times here and to finally get a win here means so much,” Logano also said after the race.

For Keselowski, it was a heartbreaker as he looked for his first win with the team he now co-owns. 

“It just didn’t come together there at the end,” Keselowski said after the race. “Joey got such a huge run down the front stretch, there was just nothing I could do.”

“We know each other’s moves pretty well, for sure,” Keselowski explained. “But, you know, it’s just a matter of how the cookie crumbles. It kinda came his way there at the end and he made a good move, so, kudos to him. We’re right there, though. Our team just continues to improve and show what we’re made of, so I’m proud of that.”

Christopher Bell finished third, as Corey Lajoie ended up in fourth, resulting in his career-best finish in the NASCAR Cup Series as his impressive start continues. Tyler Reddick finished fifth, while Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, Erik Jones, Ty Gibbs, and Kyle Busch rounded out the top ten.

“Hell, yeah, there are moral victories,” Lajoie said after the race. “If you get smashed 35 weekends out of the year, here’s an opportunity where you can win. When you can run fourth, there are so many good things wrapped up in that. … For me, it’s huge. For our team, it’s huge.”

So far, Lajoie has an average finish of 16.0 in the first races of the season. He’s never had an average finish better than 24th in his previous full-time Cup seasons. 

All three national series head next to Austin, Texas at the Circuit of the Americas.