Overview

• Denny Hamlin admitted on his Actions Detrimental podcast that a misjudged draft push on lap 69 sparked the 23-car Stage 2 wreck at Atlanta Motor Speedway
• Alex Bowman’s decisive tandem push on the final lap enabled Chase Elliott’s slingshot pass, ending Elliott’s 44-race winless drought and clinching his playoff berth
• Hendrick Motorsports president Jeff Andrews praised Bowman’s selfless maneuver as the turning point that reshuffled the team’s driver pecking order
• Brad Keselowski lamented being outnumbered in the two-on-one duel and said he had no way to counter the coordinated tandem attack
• Joe Gibbs Racing added Chris Gabehart as a race strategist on Ty Gibbs’ pit box to bolster strategic support for the final regular-season races