A three-hour rain delay and a 2 a.m. checkered flag were just the start of the chaos at last weekend's NASCAR Cup Series race in Atlanta. Ryan Blaney snagged the win by a breathtaking 0.068 seconds after a three-man overtime battle for the lead. And if that wasn't enough drama, Bubba Wallace even got hit with a controversial penalty. Seriously, what a race!
Atlanta Was Nuts, But Did We Miss Something Bigger?
All that madness at EchoPark Speedway was gripping, no doubt. But while everyone was talking about the insane finish and the late-night run, the NASCAR In-Season Challenge kept chugging along, kinda like a secondary storyline. This is the third of five rounds, and the bracket just slimmed down to the final four contestants. The champion gets crowned over the next two weeks, so this thing is heating up fast, even if it got lost in the Atlanta shuffle.Todd Gilliland Is the Surprise Nobody Saw Coming
You got your usual suspects still in the hunt, no shocker there: Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott, and Christopher Bell are all expected to be dominant. But then there's Todd Gilliland! The dude entered this whole challenge as the 25th seed, and now he's one of the final four. That's a serious shake-up and proves anything can happen in this series. Get ready, because the action keeps rolling. The next matchups go down at North Wilkesboro and Indianapolis. The Window World 450 at North Wilkesboro is set for 7 p.m. on July 19. You don't want to miss who takes the next step towards that championship.This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.