Date: July 9, 2023
Event: Atlanta 400 (Round 19 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia (1.54-mile oval)
Format: 260 laps, broken into three stages (60 laps/100 laps/100 laps)
Note: Race called 75 laps short of its scheduled 260-lap distance due to rain.
Race Winner: William Byron of Hendrick Motorsports
Stage 1 Winner: Ryan Blaney of Team Penske
Stage 2 Winner: Brad Keselowski of RFK Racing
SHR Race Finish:
● Aric Almirola (Started 1st, Finished 18th / Running, completed 185 of 185 laps)
● Chase Briscoe (Started 3rd, Finished 22nd / Running, completed 185 of 185 laps)
● Ryan Preece (Started 13th, Finished 24th / Running, completed 185 of 185 laps)
● Kevin Harvick (Started 6th, Finished 30th / Running, completed 181 of 185 laps)
SHR Points:
● Kevin Harvick (9th with 530 points, 98 out of first)
● Ryan Preece (25th with 326 points, 302 out of first)
● Aric Almirola (27th with 317 points, 311 out of first)
● Chase Briscoe (31st with 222 points, 406 out of first)
SHR Notes:
● Almirola won the pole for the Atlanta 400 with a lap of 31.261 seconds at 177.346 mph. It was Almirola’s fifth career Cup Series pole and his second at Atlanta. It was the 59th NASCAR Cup Series pole for SHR.
● Almirola led twice for a race-high 46 laps.
● Almirola finished 10th in Stage 1 to earn a bonus point.
● Preece finished 10th in Stage 2 to earn a bonus point.
Race Notes:
● William Byron won the Atlanta 400 to score his eighth career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his fourth of the season and his second at Atlanta. Daniel Suárez finished second as the race finished under caution.
● There were seven caution periods for a total of 43 laps.
● Twenty-seven of the 37 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.
● Byron leaves Atlanta as the new championship leader with a 21-point advantage over second-place Martin Truex Jr.
Next Up:
The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Crayon 301 on Sunday, July 16 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon. The race begins at 2:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBC and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
