Starting 32nd, Christopher Bell needed 408 miles to reach the front for his first victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
The Joe Gibbs Racing driver led only the final lap Sunday of a race that went five laps past its scheduled distance in overtime on the 1.54-mile oval. Bell became the 15th leader in a race that featured a track-record 50 lead changes (breaking the previous mark of 48 last year). In the wake of William Byron’s second consecutive Daytona 500 win, the first two races this season have ended on a last-lap pass.
After 265 laps, the caution flag flew less than a mile from the checkered flag with Bell’s No. 20 Toyota in first ahead of Carson Hocevar and Kyle Larson. Ryan Blaney and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. rounded out the top five.
MORE: Click here for Atlanta results l Click here for the cumulative report l Click here for the penalty report l Click here for race notes
It was the 10th career win for Bell but his first since last June at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, which also was the most recent victory for Joe Gibbs Racing (a drought of 19 Cup races). It’s also Bell’s first win at Atlanta and his first in 28 starts on the superspeedway drafting tracks of Atlanta, Daytona and Talladega.
NASCAR Cup Series Ambetter Health 400
Christopher Bell wins at Atlanta on last-lap pass in overtime
The Joe Gibbs Racing driver just beats Carson Hocevar and Kyle Larson.
Nate Ryan,
Nate Ryan,
It was JGR’s first win on a drafting track since Denny Hamlin won at Talladega in October 2020. With JGR’s 12th victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Toyota won for the first time at the Hampton, Georgia, track since Kyle Busch 2013.
MORE: Click here for Atlanta driver points l Click here for Atlanta owner points
Through two races of the regular season, Blaney leads the championship standings with 87 points ahead of William Byron (75), Tyler Reddick (72), Austin Cindric (68), Bubba Wallace (64), Kyle Larson (61), John Hunter Nemechek (61), Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (61), Alex Bowman (59) and Chase Elliott (56).
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What drivers said after Atlanta Cup race won by Christopher Bell
Here is what drivers were talking about after Sunday’s NASCAR Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Nate Ryan,
Nate Ryan,
Blaney and Nemechek are the only drivers to finish in the top 10 in the first two races of the 2025 season.
Atlanta finishing order
1. Christopher Bell, No. 20 Toytoa 2. Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Chevrolet 3. Kyle Larson, No. 5 Chevrolet 4. Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Ford 5. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Chevrolet 6. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Toyota 7. Kyle Busch, No. 8 Chevrolet 8. Ross Chastain, No. 1 Chevrolet 9. Bubba Wallace, No. 23 Toyota 10. John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Toyota 11. Zane Smith, No. 38 Ford 12. Joey Logano, No. 22 Ford 13. Michael McDowell, No. 71 Chevrolet 14. AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Chevrolet 15. Todd Gilliland, No. 34 Ford 16. Austin Dillon, No. 3 Chevrolet 17. Riley Herbst, No. 35 Toyota 18. Ryan Preece, No. 60 Ford 19. Tyler Reddick, No. 45 Toyota 20. Chase Elliott, No. 9 Chevrolet 21. Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Toyota 22. BJ McLeod, No. 78 Chevrolet 23. Shane Van Gisbergen, No. 88 Chevrolet 24. Justin Haley, No. 7 Chevrolet 25. Josh Berry, No. 21 Ford 26. Alex Bowman, No. 48 Chevrolet 27. William Byron, No. 24 Chevrolet 28. Austin Cindric, No. 2 Ford 29. Ty Dillon, No. 10 Chevrolet 30. Chris Buescher, No. 17 Ford 31. Erik Jones, No. 43 Toyota 32. Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Toyota 33. Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Chevrolet 34. Noah Gragson, No. 4 Ford 35. Cody Ware, No. 51 Ford 36. Cole Custer, No. 41 Ford 37. JJ Yeley, No. 44 Chevrolet 38. Corey LaJoie, No. 01 Ford 39. Brad Keselowski, No. 6 Ford