HLs: NASCAR Cup Series at EchoPark Speedway
Watch highlights of the rain-delayed NASCAR Cup Series at Echopark Speedway in Atlanta, Georgia, for the Quaker State 400 Available At Walmart and Round 3 of the In-Season Challenge.
Video Transcript
Plenty of tension tonight.
The stress and anxiety, the weather, the unpredictability of this place.
Seven races to the Chase.
Good crowd on hand.
It's an all Penske front row.
Two champions, Blaney and Logano.
It's go time in Atlanta.
See that inside line all linked together.
The outside line needs to tighten it up a little bit to create a little bit of momentum for the 12 of Blaney.
Already three wide.
Hosar in the 77 going out against the fence.
Got his teammate right behind him, Michael McDowell.
Oh, in the fence just a little bit.
McDowell, a little brush with the right front fender I believe.
Car gets really tight on that flat tri-oval.
When you're right up behind somebody, you lose a nose.
Blaney jumps out front.
He controls.
Larson looking inside Logano.
Dillon rallying up to second to three.
Danielle, what you got on the 77?
Man, he's on the move, Dale.
He started 14th.
He's now in the fourth position.
His spotter said, "Your pace is really good" but Carson is saying, "I didn't think the three was fast enough to push me."
Now he has the five behind him.
Dale, what's it like as a driver to feel these guys out and know who you wanna work with?
Yeah, you can just kinda see the 77 can wrap the bottom better.
Now he's gonna pull up alongside the two.
The 77 has better turn.
The five is struggling with tight.
We heard that from Marty earlier.
So the 5 car can't make the front turn in the corner, so he can't make these runs and moves that, that Hosar can.
See he's struggling just a little bit.
Had to lift out of the gas right there, did Larson.
Has to lift, allowing the 45 to run the top, so he has to go somewhere else to get that clean air.
The 45 with a big run down the back straightaway going to the inside.
Gonna side draft a little bit down the back straightaway.
Not gonna clear the two.
Two's gonna drag him back a little bit on the quarter panel.
Gonna run him tight here to try to side draft and keep that 45 from clearing.
Reddick up the racetrack.
Almost contact right there.
Again, here comes the five.
Gonna go three wide once more.
Five's got a big run, though.
He's gonna clear the 45.
Will he get the two?
Can he slide up in front of Cindric?
He will.
Look at Hosar.
He said, "I'm gonna join the party."
Looking down low on Reddick.
What a move by Larson.
And there you go, mission accomplished.
One of the Penske Fords split up from the trio.
Final lap, stage one.
Off of turn two, around the lap cars.
You know, when Cindric won stage one here in the springtime, he started way back in the pack after a crash at Daytona.
Reddick rallying in stage one tonight, but not gonna be enough.
Ryan Blaney back to the green and white checkered flag.
It's his fourth stage victory here in Atlanta.
I thought it was gonna be a draft.
It was more of a pick by Ryan Blaney, using the traffic.
Nice job by driver 12.
Stage two underway- Here we go, green as we go to the EchoPark Automotive restart zone.
Good launch by the 45 of Reddick.
Good push by Blaney back there on the outside.
He's gonna clear the 45.
Here comes the inside line back though.
Down the back straightaway, everybody even two by two.
Austin Dillon trying to give a good push to the 5 car of Larson on the inside.
Christopher Bell- Logano who jumped quickly off the pit lane in the game.
Yeah, Logano knew he had Cindric behind him, so that aggressive move, you see it the top of your screen, that red 22 being pushed by that number two, shoving it forward.
Bubba Wallace got it wound up in the outside lane.
He's so good in the draft.
Was impressive here in the springtime.
Oh, this 12 car, look at this thing on fresh tires.
Big run.
I mean, just, just drive down and take the top spot.
Yeah.
Ryan Blaney dominates stage one, leads again, and he brings Larson with him.
Almost three wide for the lead there.
Larson around the top.
He might get some help from Reddick here to be able to take the lead.
Marty talked before we went green about Kyle Larson, and even though things have not gone his way in the draft here at EchoPark Speedway, he's been a huge endorser of this place.
Said he likes this style.
He spent a lot of time at the front, and here's driver five going for the lead.
Toyotas have cycled towards the front though.
We now have a Toyota third, fourth, sixth, seventh, eighth.
Xfinity onboard, riding with Wallace.
One of those Toyotas that's found his way into the mix.
Little less separation now.
You can say everybody's worked on their cars.
Handling's gotten a little bit better.
We're not seeing as much separation at the front.
All four- Hosar into the wall off of turn four, Steve.
Light contact.
We'll see if it does any more damage to that 77.
I was mentioning though, track also probably cooling, which is helping.
Look at Blaney.
Blaney says, "It doesn't matter.
I just gotta go back."
You want to lead?
Okay, I'll take it back here.
NASCAR Cup Series racing on a Sunday evening in Hampton, Georgia.
Our coverage on TNT presented by NAPA Auto Parts.
New leader- Is Carson Hocevar.
And just as I say that, here comes Tyler Reddick.
Look at the 45 just dancing off the corner.
All clear, maybe not.
He could have taken it.
He was clear momentarily, but the 77's gonna get out there and go by three wide.
Bubba Wallace around his teammate, and Blaney into second place.
Slingshot23 making moves.
The balance starting to go away on these cars.
You see them using up a lot of race track.
The 22 of Logano having to lift right there.
Down here in three and four, they're starting to drive up the track into the door of each car on the outside line.
Getting into the tire run here.
Losing some balance.
Losing some comfort.
The first is, do we stay dry?
And if we stay dry, how do you manage it?
We have not seen many green flag pit stops here.
It's interesting.
It's a long pit road.
It can be messy.
Oh, the yellow's out.
Elaine, this is lightning.
Caution number one comes at the end of the opening stage.
Caution number two for weather here in the middle portion of stage two.
Free pass goes to Ross Chastain.
Blaney and Bubba on the front row.
Number 12 in charge as the leaders come to the Echo Park automotive restart zone.
Ready.
Race bike, race bike.
The race is starting.
That inside line did a really, really good job launching right around the same time.
Basically teammates pushing teammates here down the back straightaway.
Who can stay locked together?
Looks like the Toyotas weren't able to do that.
The Fords on the outside clear.
Out of line for position.
This is for the lead.
There goes Bubba Wallace in the 23.
Take it away.
Take it away.
Contact.
Oh, he's gonna take it away for second.
All clear.
He's getting that, he's getting that information from Freddy, his spotter, to take it away, and squeeze Blaney a little bit right there.
Now they're three wide for second.
Hocevar from the high lane to the low lane, and he picks off a couple.
He's now second behind Bubba Wallace.
He's gonna get a big push down the front straightaway, probably to the inside, but Blaney's gonna get to the inside first.
Blaney with the run.
Reporting an issue.
We'll have to get him to pit road and see what's wrong with the 77, Danielle.
Steve, they're saying on the radio 77 has a flat tire.
Oh, man.
So he definitely has a tire issue here with three to go.
Will he try to get it around to the finish on the right side?
The race for the stage continues.
Blaney, Logano coming two to go now.
Ty Gibbs getting with it.
Final lap of the stage.
Oh, Bubba's spun out off the nose of the 54 of Ty Gibbs.
Wallace goes for a ride.
Was running inside the top five.
We're all right.
Working.
As Ryan Blaney takes the green and white checkered flag, recording the sweep.
Gibbs, Sendrick front row.
Coming through the Echo Park restart zone.
Final stage underway at Atlanta.
Some new players up here.
A lot of these guys don't really know what it's, what it's like to be up front, what moves to make.
And much like Jeff and Jamie talked about, can the 45 and the 12 find a, find their way back to the front?
Can they fight their way and get that track position?
They get back two by two.
Now Bell to the inside three wide.
They gotta be careful there.
That painted line down there is out of bounds.
Him making the move to the inside is Sendrick.
Gibbs jumps to the race lead.
Blaney got- Suarez.
Suarez down low has to give up all the spots to get back in line.
Kyle Larson around the top.
Look at this.
Way up around the top.
What a move.
Oh, contact.
He runs him up the racetrack.
That's kind of the things they're gonna have to start doing to try to break these guys up, to be able to have a shot at going up there, take the lead away from the 54.
Slide job turned into a shove.
Oh, the 16 spinning down the front straightaway, A.J.
Allmendinger.
All pushed up here.
You're pushed.
Stay here.
Keep it pushed up.
Bottom is all pushed up for him up here.
Still push.
Still push, Steven.
Still pushed, Steven, here.
You're clear.
12's not clear.
12 just got clear.
You two are clear.
Still in line here.
Still in line.
Still pushed out here.
Still pushed out, Steve, top.
Outside, outside.
Just you and him.
Still there.
Just you and him.
20's with him now.
Still on the way up top.
Still there.
Nine's your help in your mirror.
Off by half.
Still two wide behind you.
Still tight here.
Nine's your help.
Still tight up top.
Off by half.
Or Larson, you have to ask yourself, are you settling in here?
Because if you don't race, maybe you can protect.
Elliott says nope.
Turns left down the hill.
He wants to go to the point.
Listen to the crowd.
Oh man, hometown guy from Dawsonville.
Engine number nine back on point at Atlanta.
Teammates for the top spot.
Larson looking outside of Elliott.
Bell waiting in the wings.
Blaney three wide down the front straightaway.
Slingshot.
Look at him.
Number 12 showing the muscle again, and here comes Bubba Wallace in the 23.
That 12, you said it, Steve.
He can just do whatever he wants.
Blaney pa- playing defense.
Can't hold him off.
Number nine jumps back by.
Hamlin looking outside as Larson paints the line down low Oh, Bubba got real tight right there.
Wow.
Larson got to his left rear, made him really, really tight.
He up, up the racetrack.
We're three wide for the front.
Blaney again.
They just It's a broken record.
The 12 loses it and takes it right back.
Blaney needs his teammates up there.
They're starting to gang up on him.
Toyotas have now found their way into the top five.
Oh.
Look out.
Blaney's in the wall.
Led 158 laps tonight, and we got caution for the fifth time this evening.
Oh, and he's upset.
Yeah.
I don't know if he got squeezed right there.
Yeah, Blaney said, "What was that?"
Yeah.
I have no idea what he was doing.
I think he's getting ready to go let him know- Yeah I think, right here.
Wow.
It is hot.
So Allmendinger had the problem.
That's why we get the yellow with 29 to go.
Big jump by the outside line there.
Good launch for the 23.
Back to the inside though.
Here comes Blaney.
They separate the Toyotas.
You got Hosar pushing.
Oh, we got a car down to the grass.
Larson.
19 to go.
Block is down.
Block is down.
Caution number six.
Again, another good launch by the outside line, but we're a little more organized on the inside here.
Six laps to go, three wide for the lead.
Here comes Hosar.
77 trying to get the top spot.
You're clear.
Bubba Wallace sliding through.
20, keep it going.
What a mix at the front.
45 in the wall.
Look at the wreck behind him.
Larson spinning to the inside wall.
Big wreck into turn three.
Caution is out.
That's number seven.
Briscoe involved.
Multiple cars.
Kyle Larson got a piece of it.
Bonus time for all these fans.
Hosar, Blaney front row.
Almost a perfect launch, but here comes the 12 car to the inside.
They're gonna wrap the bottom.
Blaney should be clear.
He's clear.
Big run.
Hosar is gonna stay to the outside.
Blaney can't get the block.
Reddick pushing Hosar out of the race lead.
Going by.
20, keep it going.
20, keep it going.
SVG is right there to make it three wide.
What a move for second.
Coming back to the white flag.
Hosar way out front.
Run the bottom.
Run- Big run comes from the 12 and the 23 down the front straightaway.
Blaney goes outside.
He's been great all night long, leading 170 laps, trying to get around Hosar.
Through turns three and four.
Bell pushing Blaney.
Middle lane, Hosar.
Back to the checkered flag.
It's gonna be Ryan Blaney who wins it in Atlanta.
Oh my, what a dominating win.
