Pole: Joey Logano (22)
Outside pole: Austin Cindric (2)
stages: 60-60-140
Weather: Sunny, 45 degrees, 7 mph winds with 13 mph gusts, feels like 41 degrees
The drivers are complaining, during the Race Day show, that it’s freezing under the sunny blue skies and windy conditions in Atlanta. Blaney said the ride around the track on the back of the pickup truck was probably the coldest he’s ever been in his life. March races in Atlanta – not for warm-blooded southerners.In the pre-race show FoxSports reported that John Hunter ‘JHN’ Nemechek is getting fitted for the seat of the 45 car in case Tyler Reddick needs a replacement. Reddick is not feeling well today. He has received fluids. Tyler ‘TyRed’ Reddick (45) plans to start the race.
On lap 4 of 260 television is already working the gimmick shots, inside the car and the bumpers of cars. They’re obviously not expecting anything worth watching on-track, certainly not the exciting action PRN is calling.
Caution on lap 9 of 260 for Bubba Wallace getting into the inside wall. His right rear tire is down and he’s stuck on the apron trying to get going again, but the low rear wheel has the back end on the car surface as well as the front. The front wheel also blew as he was going toward the inside wall.
FOXSports reports NASCAR is allowing eight minutes for the damaged vehicle policy due to the extra time it takes to get back to the racing surface as a result of the lengthening of pit road in Atlanta.
What is the deal with the new race tracker? A bar that shows when cautions came out? Well it’s a bar. It doesn’t really show you anything but an overview – no specifics and if that’s all you need from the race, you can watch the broadcast – that’s about all they show, other than fans in the stands, relatives in the pit-boxes and other irrelevant crap.
NASCAR digital (nascar.com) claims there was a crazy save around lap 41. I guess tv missed that, or, as usual Bowyer was babbling about something else and missed it, or he mentioned it in the middle of his unending blather and I missed him saying something relevant.
Interesting that Chris Myers said in the pre-race show, “if you want to be an announcer just yell a lot” when a guy standing with them said he understood why they were they way they were. He, the guy standing with them, seemed highly entertained by Bowyer’s antics and, seemingly, a bit surprised.
Stage one is over with Joey Logano (22) leading all laps from the pole. Yawn. They seem to be going through the motions. Maybe they aren’t and tv is too busy showing cold people in the grandstands, especially children that are doing anything but watching the race, to actually show us the racing taking place on-track.
Mike Joy asked Tony Stewart a question. Smoke answered, short and sweet. Joy asked a follow-up and Bowyer jumped in and started talking and didn’t stop for a long time. For the entirety no one was able to actually talk about what was occurring on the track.
Austin Cindric (2) is out front at the end of stage two.
Mike Joy of FOXSports is asking, “why now, with 84 laps to go, why are we running three-wide now when we’ve run single file for laps and laps and laps?”
That’s kind of funny and kind of not. Basically he’s saying why did they bother to start racing on lap 176 of 260 when they’ve been logging laps forever. It’s a good question and a bad question. Since the skies are clear, weather is not approaching so why are they suddenly in a hurry and willing to do something besides follow the leader. The question I’m asking is why have they spent almost 200 laps following each other around the track? It’s supposed to be a race. People paid to see a race – not a parade. What were they waiting for?
Clint Bowyer actually apologized for talking over Mike Joy on lap 18
Caution on lap 189 of 260 for a multi-car crash. Ross Chastain (1) turned leader Kevin Harvick (4) who spun in front of the field collecting Chris Buescher (17), Kevin Harvick (4), Kyle ‘KyBu’ Busch (8), William ‘WilliB’ Byron (24), Josh Berry (9), Corey LaJoie (7), Harrison Burton (21), Austin Dillon (3), Bubba Wallace (23), Ty Gibbs (54), BJ McLeod (78).
‘Desperate’ Denny Hamlin (11) tagged Ty Dillon (77) as ‘Desperate’ was leaving his pit and Ty was entering his pit.
Josh Berry (9) and Martin ‘MTJ’ Truex Jr (19) will start at the rear for pitting before pit road was open.
Restarting on lap 199 of 260.
The following cars are out of the event and treated and released from the infield care center: harvick, buescher, mcleod, willib, burton,
KHarv said the way he came from the right to the left took the back tires and spun him around. He said he thinks Chastain was barely on him.
WilliB said the single file racing was a little discouraging because the inside lane wouldn’t go.
Caution on lap 208 of 260 as Aric ‘Afterburner’ Almirola (10) blew a tire leading and spun and collected Kyle Larson (5), Daniel Suarez (99), Justin Haley (31), Tyler Reddick (45). Afterburner stayed out on the last pit sequence.
TV was showing a commercial for the iHeart Radio Music Awards and suddenly cut it showing the after effects of the crash. The commercial showed up in the next break.
PRN reports they’re bringing the cars down pit road due to the cleanup going on on-track. TV is showing Aric Almirola out of his car and leaning over. He reportedly had the breath knocked out of him.
The 10 of Almirola is on the hook.
On lap 226 of 260 Joey Logano (22) has led 135 laps of the event.
The inside lane is doing better. The leader though, has time to relatively easily block either lane.
So it’s a Noah’s Ark parade instead of a single-file parade.
For some reason as the cars battle side-by-side for the lead we’re stuck looking at the doors of passing cars. TV gets bored quickly.
Brad ‘It’ Keselowski (2) leads at the line, but often Logano leads during the lap. Unfortunately Logano is dependent upon help from teammate Austin Cindric (2).
On lap 258 of 260 we’re looking at the front bumper of a car and a split screen of two drivers driving and a split screen of a distant view of the front of the field and a driver driving.
Christopher ‘CBell’ Bell (20) gave Logano a strong push on the white flag lap.
Logano takes the lead on the white flag lap and holds off ‘It’ to win the race.
Congrats to Corey LaJoie (7) on a hard fought fourth place finish. He was up front most of the day. PRN reports it is the best finish of his career.
Doug Rice, “the best thing about this race was that in the end they raced 46 laps without a caution to the finish.”
Too bad it was a 260 lap event.
Corey said this is his career best finish. He said technically he finished sixth last year but Chris Bell was dq’d which gave him a fifth place finish, but this is his first real top five.
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