The Harley J. Earl trophy is safely tucked away on William Byron's shelf and the 2025 NASCAR Cup season is officially underway. As the Daytona 500 gets further away in the rearview mirror, the drama and chaos of NASCAR's season opener remained on the series' tail to Atlanta. There, we almost experienced a three-wide photo finish, plus intense racing from start to finish, some hurt feelings, and leaving everyone with plenty to talk about.
So here's a look at the biggest winners and losers from Atlanta:
WINNER: Toyota is saved by the Bell
Toyota was nowhere for most of Sunday's race, only leading six total laps between all of their drivers. Ford dominated both stages while Chevrolet appeared to be in the perfect position to secure the checkered flag. But the always quiet Christopher Bell rose to the occasion and pounced when an opportunity presented itself in the closing laps. He got to the outside of Kyle Larson on the final restart and with the help of a well-timed caution just as he was being forced to the far outside in a three-wide battle for the win, the driver of the No. 20 Toyota was able to secure the victory.
Bell had started the race in 32nd and only led a single lap all day -- the last one. It was shaping up to be a lackluster day for Toyota until they were literally saved by Bell at the very end, who now locks himself into the playoffs just two races into the new season.
LOSER: Team Chevy had the numbers, but not the teamwork
While Bell enjoyed making some victory donuts, Chevrolet was left wondering what went wrong. At these drafting-style tracks, manufacturer allegiances (for better or worse) are paramount. So when the green flag waved on the final restart at Atlanta, Chevy had to be feeling pretty good. Cars with Bowties on the nose ran 1-2-3 and controlled both lines for the two-lap dash to the checkered flag.
However, Carson Hocevar's decision to send it up the middle instead of pushing Ross Chastain opened the door for Bell, a Toyota driver, to make a run at Larson. Hocevar also gave Bell a helpful shove on the final lap, but to be fair, he only did it so he could have a shot at the win himself as he split the leaders into the final set of corners. The timing of the caution robbed him of the chance to see if that move would work out in his favor. The Chevy camp has to be disappointed as they reflect on how they managed to give away that race win.
WINNER: Hocevar makes no friends on his way to career-best showing
Speaking of Hocevar, he may not feel like a winner after Sunday's race, but it's hard to deny the talent of the 2024 Cup Series Rookie of the Year. He angered Ryan Blaney, Kyle Busch, and even his mentor Chastain, but he still nearly delivered Spire Motorsports a shock victory in just the second race of the year. To put that into perspective, Spire only has one victory in the Cup Series and that came nearly five years ago in a rain-shortened event at Daytona.
Had the race run green to the finish, his sensational move up the middle of Bell and Larson could have ended with him in Victory Lane. But instead, he had to listen as more senior drivers gave him a stern talking to on pit road for his wild moves on track. While not great for his standing in the garage, he sure was a spectacle for those watching the race play out. And he didn't seem too bothered by it, telling FOX's Bob Pockrass: "We're here to win races -- not be a boy band and love each other and play in the playground together."
LOSER: NASCAR race control can't make up its mind
NASCAR race control needs one thing more than anything else -- consistency. They have seemed extremely reactive over the past two weeks, going back-and-forth on their position regarding when a wreck on the final lap is big enough to trigger a race-ending caution. For example, the caution was thrown mere seconds from the line in the second Duel qualifying race at Daytona, spoiling a photo finish. As a result of the criticism, NASCAR let the field race back in the Daytona 500 despite the leaders crashing in front of the entire field.
Fast forward to Atlanta, NASCAR allowed the field to race back again as several cars crashed on the backstretch in the Xfinity race. The drivers and a few others weren't thrilled, saying it set a dangerous precedent of allowing cars to race full speed through an accident scene. Drivers who slowed down for the carnage ended up losing several spots.
Overnight, they switched positions yet again and said the same situation on Sunday would result in a caution. Unfortunately, that meant when Josh Berry crashed on the final lap, NASCAR threw the caution -- doing so just as the leaders fanned out three-wide in what was set to be another iconic finish resembling one year ago. But instead of another drag-race to the checkered flag, we were left with an abrupt ending that frustrated fans and left a bitter taste in their mouths.
NASCAR needs to pick a lane and stick with it, no matter what it is -- let them race or throw the caution. Going back-and-forth like this is just making the situation worse and causing more confusion.
WINNER: A Hill none could overcome
Taking a look at the Xfinity race for a moment, how can you not be in awe of what the driver of the No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet is doing at these drafting tracks? Austin Hill led an impressive 146 of 163 laps on Saturday, taking a commanding victory at his home track. Five of the last six Atlanta Xfinity races have now been won by Hill, and three of the last four season openers at Daytona have also been won by him. If not for the mechanical gremlins he faced last weekend, he likely could have won that race too. It's not often in modern NASCAR where one driver seems so unbeatable at a certain kind of track -- especially at tracks as unpredictable as superspeedways.
LOSER: Austin Cindric can't catch a break
Austin Cindric doesn't get too many chances to contend for race wins and despite that, he remains one of the cleanest drivers in the field when he finds himself near a potential race win. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for his competition. He was leading at the white flag in the Daytona 500, and again leading with three laps to go at Atlanta. But in both cases, he was wrecked by an aggressive driver trying to make room for themselves. On Sunday, it was Larson drifting up the track, which ended with both Cindric and Larson's Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron crashing down the backstretch. Despite over 100 laps led between the first two races of the year, he has little to show for it and has to be wondering what more he has to do to catch a break.
WINNER: Michael McDowell and his free pass palooza
With all the action at the front of the field, few noticed what Michael McDowell was doing at the very back of the pack during the Atlanta Cup race. A power steering issue forced him into the garage early and he returned to the race six laps down. But the former Daytona 500 winner didn't throw in the towel, putting himself in position to receive a record-tying SIX free passes throughout the race and getting back onto the lead lap. If that wasn't impressive enough, he also avoided all of the carnage and quietly raced his way to a 13th place finish without a scratch on his car.
LOSER: The Wood Brothers join those at the bottom of the points pile
Josh Berry was hoping to rebound from a disappointing Daytona 500 where he was collected in the first wreck of the race. For a while, it looked like he might as the No. 21 machine won the caution-free opening stage at Atlanta — leading over 50 laps. While he wasn't in position to win at the end, he was still moments away from collecting a solid top-ten when he got squeezed. As a result, he begins the year with back-to-back DNFs and now sits outside the top 30 in points. He joins the likes of Brad Keselowski, Noah Gragson, Cole Custer, and Cody Ware as drivers desperate to turn things around before the gap to get there gets any deeper.
WINNER: Fans of the NASCAR Truck Series
While both the Cup and Xfinity race ended with wrecked race cars littering the backstretch, the third and lowermost level of NASCAR's national divisions went a different route. Led by Kyle Busch, the field put on a show in the closing laps of the race. Instead of bad blocks and putting rivals into the wall, each driver built up a run and took their shot at the lead without much drama.
The lead was swapping constantly in the closing laps with six different drivers taking a turn out front in the final 20 laps. And in the end, there was no wreck, but a thrilling photo finish between two-time NASCAR Cup champion Kyle Busch and Truck Series veteran Stewart Friesen. The margin of victory (0.017s) was the 12th closest in Truck Series history and the closest in a Truck race at Atlanta in nearly 20 years!
