Another race is officially in the books. It was a wild race where tinware was a key factor throughout the entire race all the way down to the final laps.
Great racing all day and it all came down to the wire, as there are six races with six different winners after Ryan Blaney wins at Atlanta.
Larson Dominates Stage 1
Stage 1 was a very quick-paced stage as Kyle Larson dominated to win stage number one. In the runner-up position was the 18 machine of Kyle Busch.
In the third spot was the 12 of Ryan Blaney. Coming in 4th was Kurt Busch. Rounding out the top-five was Denny Hamlin.
Larson Wins Stage 2
As soon as stage two began they were right back under caution. Kyle Busch spun his tires which caused the outside lane to checkup. This would be bad as Denny Hamlin got into the back of Kurt Busch and put him in the turn one wall. This would end Kurt Busch’s day as he finished in the 39th position.
Afterward, Kyle Larson would win stage number two. It is the fourth time in his career he has won the first two stages and in this race, he will look to complete his first-ever sweep. Finishing in the second position was Ryan Blaney. In third was the 48 of Alex Bowman. The fourth position went to the 18 of Kyle Busch. Wrapping up the top-five was the 24 of William Byron.
Ryan Blaney Passes Larson For The Win
Big trouble for the hometown kid of Chase Elliott as his engine blew up. As a result of the engine failure, Elliott finished in the 38th position as his early-season struggles continue. After Ryan Blaney passed Kyle Larson in the final laps Blaney would go on to win the Folds of Honor Quiktrip 500. Kyle Larson would finish in second after dominating the race all day.
In the end, he used up his tires which gave the advantage to Ryan Blaney. Finishing in third place was Alex Bowman. In the fourth position was Denny Hamlin. Rounding out the top five was Kyle Busch.
Outlook
With this win, Ryan Blaney becomes the sixth winner in six races so far in the 2021 season. It was a needed victory as he had not won since the spring race at Talladega back in 2020. With this win, he is now locked into the 2021 playoffs.
What’s Next?
Next week dirt racing returns to NASCAR when the Cup Series heads to Bristol. It will be the most unique weekend on the schedule. Practice and qualifying will return but with a twist. Practice will not change but qualifying will be in a different format. Like Daytona Speedweeks, there will be qualifier races.
To determine the starting lineup there will be three heat races to determine the starting lineup for Sunday’s race beginning at 6 pm on Saturday. It will all unfold next weekend when NASCAR finally returns to its roots with some old-school dirt racing.
