Just like most drafting tracks in the new next gen era, Sunday’s race at Atlanta Motor Speedway was great, until it wasn’t. There were a ton of passes, lead changes, close calls, and moments that just made everyone go “WOW!” Christopher Bell won the race, but the caution that was displayed coming to the checkered flag, right or not, has been the topic of conversation among the fans. Was NASCAR in the right? Is Atlanta the better form of old Daytona? How does Sunday affect the future of late race cautions? These are all valid questions being asked by the fanbase in the aftermath of the second race in 2025.
I think the decision to display the yellow on the last lap Sunday was the correct decision. I have stated many times that I was always a fan of NASCAR when they raced back to the caution flag. However, after many close calls and injuries, NASCAR decided to freeze the field as soon as the caution flag was displayed. This has led to a plethora of late race rules and a multitude of different “overtime” formats.
During the Xfinity race Saturday, there was a massive caution on the backstretch on the final, but the leaders were allowed to race to the checkered flag and a caution flag did not come out. However, NASCAR admitted they were wrong on Sunday morning. According to a tweet from Bob Pockrass, Elton Sawyer told the Cup drivers on Sunday that NASCAR should have thrown the caution flag. That set the precedent for Sunday.
Again, a massive pileup happened on the final lap Sunday. NASCAR stuck to their word and threw the yellow, despite Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson, and Carson Hocevar all battling for the win. It inevitably would have been another Atlanta photo finish, but the field was frozen in turn three, and Christopher Bell was named the winner.
Fans have continued to complain about the finish. However, NASCAR stuck to their guns and threw the yellow. I am not so sure what there is to complain about. In fact, NASCAR should be praised for this decision. Finally, they show some kind of consistency, despite their “mistake” during Saturday’s Xfinity race.
I do not think this finish will have an impact on NASCAR’s decision-making in late race situations moving forward. I believe the sanctioning body is focused on driver safety first and then competitive finished second. All fans want is consistency. If the sport can continue to make judgement calls based on set precedents, then there could potentially be progress made in these late race decisions.
If the late race caution did not occur, we would all be talking about how great the racing was on Sunday. This may have been a top five Atlanta race in the history of a track that has been around since 1960. There were 50-lead changes yesterday, which is a track-record for Atlanta Motor Speedway.
With the aging of the track, this is what WE, the fans, want. Drafting played into effect of the outcome, but so did the handling of the car. Tires mattered. Skill mattered. Track position mattered. Guys made moves because they knew they could and did not cause a pileup. This is the type of racing that made us all watch NASCAR as a child. When we watched Dale Sr., Dale Jr., and other great restrictor plate drivers do this at old Daytona, we fell in love with the sport. I had that feeling again on Sunday. The TV ratings of Daytona is something to display the growth of the sport, but the product displayed at Atlanta is something for NASCAR to build on for years to come.
