Logano makes last-lap pass to win in Atlanta
HAMPTON, Ga. — Joey Logano dominated early and then passed Brad Keselowski on the final lap to win the NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway and end the early-season domination of Chevrolet and Hendrick Motorsports.
Logano won the pole and led a strong showing of three straight Team Penske drivers in qualifying, but Keselowski looked like the Ford driver to beat late in the race. Keselowski had help from Corey Lajoie, but Logano got a push from Christopher Bell that proved decisive on the final lap.
Bell finished third in a Toyota, and Lajoie finished a career-best fourth in a Chevrolet.
“The first win of the season always feels better,” said the reigning Cup champion, who led 141 of the 260 laps.
Logano’s win ended a streak of four consecutive victories by Chevrolet to open the NASCAR Cup season, including back-to-back wins by William Byron of Hendrick.
Pushed by his Team Penske teammates Ryan Blaney and Austin Cindric, Logano passed Keselowski to regain the lead with 34 laps to go. Keselowski regained the lead to setup the last-lap drama.
After no cautions during the second stage, the competition — and crashes — picked up late in the race.
Kevin Harvick, who won in Atlanta in 2018 and 2020, was leading late when he was lost control while being pushed by Ross Chastain. Replays indicated Chastain’s
Chevrolet didn’t hit Harvick’s Ford, but Harvick’s spin caused a major crash.
“I think he was just so close to me he caught me right in the corner,” Harvick said of Chastain. “The way he came from right to left took the car away from me.”
Byron called the wreck “just a part of racing.”
Formula One: Sergio Perez won the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah, and Max Verstappen drove from 15th to second to give Red Bull a 1-2 finish in what is shaping up to be a runaway season for the reigning Formula One champions.
There have been only two races so far. But it’s been two Red Bull wins, two 1-2 finishes and an air of desperation from everyone else on the grid.
Fernando Alonso finished third for the second consecutive race — it was his 100th podium, and he’s only the sixth driver to reach that mark.