Who won the NASCAR Cup Series at the Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday? That was something driver Daniel Suarez wondered himself. And he was the winner.
But it was so close between himself, and competitors Ryan Blaney and Kyle Busch that he wasn’t exactly sure when it happened.
Close Call, But Daniel Suarez Wins
It was nail-bitingly close.
The Associated Press reported, “Then came the photo evidence: Suarez edged Ryan Blaney and Kyle Busch in a three-wide blur at the line to win a crashed-filled NASCAR Cup Series race on Sunday.”
“The second career win in 253 Cup races for Suarez set off a celebration that included a long series of congratulations from other drivers for the popular native of Monterrey, Mexico,” AP noted.
The story continued:
“It was a very special moment,” said Suarez, who entered this contract year with his future seemingly uncertain with Trackhouse Racing.
“I was just hoping. I saw the tower and thought I was first. I thought I had it but then they said there was a review.”
The review confirmed the first win for Suarez since June 2022 at Sonoma. It was his first victory on a speedway, but he said he’s not satisfied after locking up a spot in the playoffs in only the second race of the year.
“Some people actually told me you can relax, now you’re in the playoffs,” Suarez said. “Hell no! My goal is to win more than one race. This is not relaxing here. … The goal is for you to not be surprised when the 99 is in victory lane.”
Busch, who won Saturday’s Trucks race, moved to the middle between Blaney, the 2023 Cup champion, and Suarez to set up the dramatic finish. Blaney was second, only 0.003 seconds behind, and Busch was third.
‘It’s Good to See Daniel Get a Win’
Blaney said, “It was fun racing, but just a couple inches short. I’m happy for Daniel, though. That was fun racing him and Kyle. That was fun.”
Busch was also a good sport, saying, “It’s good to see Daniel get a win. We were helping each other being Chevy team partners and working together there. Shows that when you do have friends and you can make alliances that they do seem to work, and that was a good part of today.”
Daniel Suarez’s win was Atlanta’s closest finish in recorded history.
