Dale Earnhardt Jr. Reacts to Ryan Blaney's Thrilling Overtime Win at Atlanta
Dale Earnhardt Jr. shared his thoughts on the intense rain-affected, thrilling event following Ryan Blaney's overtime victory in Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series race at EchoPark Speedway.
The Quaker State 400 halted on Lap 108 due to a severe thunderstorm and concluded nearly at 2 am ET. In a thrilling three-wide battle on the overtime lap, Blaney held off Carson Hocevar and Bubba Wallace to secure his second win of the season. Wallace, who crossed the finish line in P2, was penalized for going below the yellow line and demoted to a 29th-place finish.
Dale Jr. praised the thrilling Atlanta race track's nature that kept fans watching until early Monday morning, despite a three-hour rain delay. Taking to X, NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. expressed his excitement over the thrilling rain-delayed Atlanta race and wrote: “Damn that was a long day but worth it. Glad we got to see the finish. Atlanta Motor Speedway can't be beat. What a show.”
The thrilling Atlanta race is a testament to the excitement and unpredictability of NASCAR. As a NASCAR Hall of Famer, Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s praise for the event highlights the importance of tracks like Atlanta Motor Speedway in delivering thrilling racing experiences for fans.
Ryan Blaney's win at Atlanta marks his 19th career win in the series. He holds his third place in the NASCAR Cup Series points table, with six races left in the regular season. The Penske star won the pole, swept the first two stages, led a race-high 171 laps, and secured his dominating Atlanta win.
Reflecting on the Atlanta win, Blaney said (via NBC Sports): “It was definitely, honestly, a pretty awesome night. Having a really fast car and sitting on the pole, winning both stages and leading a ton of laps and just in a position to win the race… It’s a pretty cool day when you have weekends like that. You can’t ask for a better weekend-sit on the pole, sweeps the stages, win the race. That’s a dream weekend right there. These guys are great. They brought a rocket ship and it was nice that we were able to close it out.”
The #12 Team Penske star crossed the finish line 0.068 seconds ahead of Bell to take the checkered flag.
Former NASCAR driver Kenny Wallace also shared his take about the finish at Atlanta. “A #NASCAR race cannot get any better than that. What a race! What a finish! 🏁” Wallace wrote.