Drivers are still adjusting to track in Atlanta
William Byron has flourished at the reconfigured Atlanta Motor Speedway, winning two of four NASCAR Cup Series races since a fresh surface and higher banks provided a dramatic face-lift to the track.
That doesn't mean Byron feels totally comfortable in Atlanta.
Byron, the newly crowned Daytona 500 champ, still has mixed feelings about today's Cup Series race at Atlanta.
“It's unique for sure,” Byron said Saturday before qualifying 11th. “I wouldn't want to do it every week.”
Ford drivers won seven of the top nine spots in qualifying. Michael McDowell won his first pole in his 467th career start. Following a close runner-up finish behind Joey Logano in last week's Daytona 500 qualifying, McDowell edged Logano on Saturday.
Kyle Bush qualified third and Kyle Larson was fifth, one spot behind Todd Gilliland's Ford, for the only Chevrolets in the top nine.
Atlanta added superspeedwaystyle racing to its 1.54-mile track in its reconfiguration following the 2021 season. There is less width for passing as well as higher banks. Before the changes, drivers made annual pleas to keep the old, battered surface and spoke in near-unanimous tones about their fondness for racing on the track.
There's a different tone to discussions about the reconfigured Atlanta track.
Busch acknowledged the new surface was necessary due to obvious “deterioration” and said “there comes a time you have to do something.”
After two years to adjust to the new look, Busch still doesn't like the reconfiguration.
“I just don't understand or appreciate why we added the banking and the stuff they did here with the reconfiguration,” Busch said. “Would I have rather seen them just repave what they had? Probably.”
More changes came in the schedule. Atlanta's first race was moved up behind Daytona on NASCAR's schedule, providing back-to-back speedway races to open the season. Atlanta also has the first playoff race Sept. 8.
Chevrolet teammate. “To lead that many laps, he should be sitting here.”
Hill opened the Xfinity season last week with his third consecutive series-opening win at Daytona before adding his third career win at his Atlanta home track.
Hill, a native of Winston, Georgia, won Atlanta Xfinity races in 2022 and 2023. John Hunter Nemechek won 2023's spring Atlanta race, when Hill was fourth.
Love became the first driver to win poles in his first two career NASCAR Xfinity starts by claiming the top spot on Friday. Love also won the pole for last week's season-opening Daytona Xfinity race won by Hill. Love finished 20th at Daytona.
With Love holding the lead, four Fords ran out of gas with four laps to go, including Riley Herbst, who was then in second. Cole Custer, Hailie Deegan and Ryan Sieg also ran out of gas, forcing a caution.
Love remained on the track during the caution, gambling he would have gas left for the overtime. Instead, his Chevrolet faltered during the restart.
“Obviously there was no way we were going to pit there,” Hill said. “When we got up to third gear (in the restart) it died.”
Chandler Smith finished second in his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Shane Van Gisbergen was third.
At Solaz Resort & Spa Los Cabos Los Cabos, Mexico
Surface:
Hardcourt outdoor
MEN'S SINGLES
Championship
Jordan Thompson (8), Australia, def. Casper Ruud (4), Norway, 6-3, 7-6 (4).
WTA- DUBAI DUTY FREE CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Aviation Club Tennis Centre Dubai, United Arab Emirates Surface: Hardcourt outdoor
WOMEN'S SINGLES
Championship
Jasmine Paolini, Italy, def. Anna Kalinskaya, Russia, 4-6, 7-5, 7-5.
WOMEN'S DOUBLES
Championship
Storm Hunter, Australia, and Katerina Siniakova (4), Czech Republic, def. Nicole Melichar-Martinez, United States, and Ellen Perez (3), Australia, 6-4, 6-2.
SPRING TRAINING
Saturday's results
Dodgers 7, Angels 7
Atlanta 6, Tampa Bay 5 Baltimore 4, Boston 3
Miami 9, St. Louis (ss) 8
N.Y. Yankees 22, Detroit 10 Minnesota 5, Pittsburgh 3 Philadelphia 14, Toronto 13
St. Louis (ss) 10, N.Y. Mets 5 Chicago Cubs 8, San Francisco 4 Cincinnati 4, Cleveland 0 Colorado (ss) 5, Oakland 1 Chicago White Sox 8, Seattle 7 Kansas City 5, Texas 4
Arizona 6, Colorado (ss) 2 Milwaukee 11, San Diego 7 Houston 7, Washington 4
NASCAR TRUCKS- FR8 208
At Atlanta Motor Speedway Hampton, Ga.
Lap length:
(Start position in parentheses)
1. (7) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet, 135 laps, 0 points; 2. (3) Ty Majeski, Ford, 135,
0; 3. (19) Corey Heim, Toyota, 135, 0; 4. (31) Taylor Gray, Toyota, 135, 0; 5. (18) Nicholas Sanchez, Chevrolet, 135, 0; 6. (25) Kaden Honeycutt, Chevrolet, 135, 0; ;7. (2) Tyler Ankrum, Chevrolet, 135, 0;
8. (12) Rajah Caruth, Chevrolet, 135, 0; 9. (1) Daniel Dye, Chevrolet, 135, 0; 10. (23) Dean Thompson, Toyota, 135, 0; 11. (24) Bret Holmes, Chevrolet, 135, 0; 12. (29) Lawless Alan, Ford, 135, 0; 13. (8) Matt Crafton, Ford, 135, 0; 14. (17) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 135, 0; 15. (9) Chase Purdy, Chevrolet, 135, 0; 16. (11) Jake Garcia, Ford, 135, 0; 17. (15) Colby Howard, Toyota, 135, 0; 18. (27) Timmy Hill, Toyota, 135, 0; 19. (22) Tanner Gray, Toyota, 135, 0; 20. (30) Mason Massey, Chevrolet,
135, 0; 21. (32) Keith McGee, Ford, 134, 0; 22. (33) Spencer Boyd, Chevrolet, 134, 0; 23. (16) Stewart Friesen, Toyota, 133, 0; 24. (13) Layne Riggs, Ford, 133, 0; 25. (26) Mason Maggio, Toyota, 133, 12; 26. (6) Grant Enfinger, Chevrolet, 133, 0; 27. (28) Thad Moffitt, Chevrolet, 132, 0; 28. (21) Matt Mills, Chevrolet, 132, 0; 29. (14) Ben Rhodes, Ford, 130, 0; 30. (10) Conner Jones, Ford, 129, 0; 31. (20) Bayley Currey, Chevrolet, garage, 96, 0; 32. (4) Jack Wood, Chevrolet, accident, 57, 0; 33. (5) Christian Eckes, Chevrolet, brakes, 50, 0.
RACE STATISTICS
Average speed of race winner: Time of race:
Margin of victory: Caution flags:
Lead changes:
Wins:
111.435 1 hour, 51 minutes,
0.187
7 for 37 laps; 20 among 8 drivers; N.Sanchez, 1;
1. T.Ankrum, 43; 2. N.Sanchez,
42; 3. C.Eckes, 39; 4. B.Holmes, 38;
5. M.Crafton, 38; 6. C.Heim, 37; 7. T.Majeski, 35; 8. R.Caruth, 34; 9. S.Boyd, 32; 10. B.Currey, 32; 11. S.Parsons, 31; 12. T.Hill, 29; 13. B.Dauzat, 28; 14. J.White, 25; 15. T.Gray, 24; 16. S.Friesen, 23. mph; 57 seconds; seconds;
1.54 miles