Ryan Blaney Wins Atlanta After 3-Hour Delay, Leading 171 Laps in Overtime
Updated
Updated · ESPN · Jul 13
Ryan Blaney Wins Atlanta After 3-Hour Delay, Leading 171 Laps in Overtime
3 articles · Updated · ESPN · Jul 13
Summary
171 laps led carried Ryan Blaney to victory at Atlanta after he survived a final-lap three-wide overtime fight and a late brush with the wall.
29 laps from the finish, Blaney hit the wall after contact from Bubba Wallace but stayed out despite a "terrible" vibration because Team Penske judged a pit stop would cost too much track position.
3 hours and 9 minutes of rain and lightning delay pushed the finish to 1:45 a.m., with NASCAR sending cars off the track and clearing fans from the grandstand before racing resumed at 12:02 a.m.
Five laps from the scheduled finish, a wreck involving Kyle Larson, Chase Briscoe and Riley Herbst triggered the overtime restart that set up Blaney's winning move.
Wallace crossed the line second but was dropped to 29th for passing below the double yellow line, while the Cup Series heads next to North Wilkesboro.