Ryan Blaney won Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series race at EchoPark Speedway in Atlanta in a nail-biting finish. The Team Penske driver led a race-high 171 of 260 laps after starting from pole position.

However, it was far from an easy win. Despite starting from pole and winning both stages, Blaney was in a close fight with Carson Hocevar in the end. Bubba Wallace and Christopher Bell soon joined the battle at the front, going three-wide at one point. But it was Blaney who prevailed in the rain-delayed race after an overtime restart. 

While talking to TNT Sports after his win, the No. 12 Ford driver explained how Wallace’s push enabled him to gain momentum on Hocevar.

"Bubba gave me some really good shoves on the restart; we got hooked up really good, and then yeah, we - gosh, Bubba and I got huge run down the front straightaway, and I was able to get to the outside of Carson," he said (via TNT Sports on X). 

He also showered praises on Christopher Bell for giving him the final push that he needed to win the race. He said, 

"And then Bubba went three wide bottom down the back and lined up for a really cool finish at the line, and I really have to shout out Christopher Bell for him to ride my bumper all the way to 3 and 4. In a way, he was a big reason why we won the race, so I appreciate that, Christopher."

Ryan Blaney gave Ford its 750th victory in the NASCAR Cup Series, while for him it marked his second win this season. Behind Bubba Wallace and Christopher Bell, Ty Gibbs and Carson Hocevar finished the race in fourth and fifth, respectively, rounding out the top 5.

Bubba Wallace was hit with a penalty post-race

Before the 23XI driver could celebrate his second-place finish with his team, NASCAR hit him with a penalty for an infringement on the last lap.

This dropped him from second place to 29th place. According to the officials, Wallace dipped below the double-yellow line to gain an advantage on Blaney and Bell as they went three-wide.

"(The rule) says ‘advancing your position,’ which I did not do,” he told reporters (via Daytona Beach News Journal). “I stayed third, and I was all over the brakes to make sure I did not advance. As soon as I turned, I’m like, ‘I’m going to wreck.’ I got on the brakes. He kept underneath me. Still ended up side-by-side."

"That move should’ve propelled us to the lead, and it didn’t, because I knew it was wrong, because my car did not like that move. We’ll see what we can do. But I did not advance my position. I stayed third from entry to three all the way until 50 yards away." Wallace further added.

In the post-race interview with TNT Sports, he argued that it was because Ty Gibbs shoved him that he lost control of his car and went below the line.

It is yet to be seen if the team will challenge the penalty. What could have been a third podium for Bubba Wallace in the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season turned out to be a race to forget. 

Written by

Chionia Libania Colaco

Edited by

Yash Kotak