William Byron, in a display of masterclass driving, swept the NASCAR Folds of Honor QuickTrip 500 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway this afternoon to win all three stages and the race. Christopher Bell finished P2, with Ross Chastain in P3.
Chase Briscoe led the field from pole position, following his win last week in Phoenix, trading it with Ryan Blaney on the first lap. Kyle Busch took the lead on lap 3, but lost it to Chase Elliott on lap 14. He was able to take it back two laps later. P1 changed hands a few more times until tire changes helped William Byron to swoop in on lap 35. Briscoe fell from P5 to P13 on the next lap.
A Record 46 Lead Changes
The next round of tire changes saw Joey Logano take the lead on lap 55. Lap 70 saw Chastain take the lead after a three-way battle with Tyler Reddick, but he then fell to P8. Chastain hit the wall from the lead into turn one on lap 95, sparking a yellow flag.
Another round of tire changes saw Christopher Bell inherit the lead, with Logano and Martin Truex Jr. in P2 and P3, respectively. Bell lost the lead to Truex on lap 125, but three laps later Kurt Busch overtook him, not before Byron took the lead back on lap 144 to win stage 1.
Byron Wins Stage 2
Lap 154 saw Byron lose the lead to Harvick on the restart, but debris on track brought out another yellow flag on lap 157. Tire changes put Harvick in the lead from Byron, with Jones in P3. Stenhouse took the lead from Harvick on lap 185, but lost it to a spin from losing a tire in turn 3, then making contact with Austin Cindric, inciting another yellow flag. The restart had Byron leading from Kyle Larson, continuing on to win stage 2.
Tire changes allowed Daniel Suarez to lead the field at the start of stage 3, with Truex and Wallace in P2 and P3, respectively, on lap 217. He held the lead until lap 229 when Elliott promptly returned to the front. More debris on lap 255 caused another yellow flag, which saw Aric Almirola leading from the restart on lap 260, but a strong showing from Byron saw him take the lead just two laps later. Lap 301 saw Todd Gilliland bring out another yellow flag with a spin on the back straight. The incident caused Cody Ware to spin from contact with Greg Biffle while trying to avoid a collision with Gilliland.
The race restarted on lap 307 with Byron leading from Wallace with Almirola in P3. Almirola spun from contact with Chastain. Byron was leading on the restart from Wallace, with Jones in P3. Wallace took the lead on lap 313. Byron took the lead back on lap 316 for a record 46th lead change.
Byron held the lead for a clean sweep, winning all three stages and the race. Bell finished P2, with Chastain completing the podium.