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'Big One' takes out half the NASCAR Cup field at Atlanta, throws bracket challenge into pure chaos

Brian Jones Profile Picby: Brian Jones06/29/25brianjones_93
Denny Hamlin
Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

A big crash occurred during the second stage of the NASCAR Cup Series Quaker State 400 in Atlanta on Saturday night, and Denny Hamlin was one of the many drivers involved. NASCAR announced that 23 of the 40 drivers were involved in the crash, according to the broadcast on TNT.

Along with Hamlin, the crash also caught top drivers such as William Byron, Joey Logano, Kyle Larson, Ross Chastain and Austin Cindric. Jeff Gluck of The Athletic said that Kyle Busch and Alex Bowman “got a piece” of the wreck, but NASCAR didn’t have them on the report. Bob Pockrass of Fox Sports reported that Logano is out of the race.

That was the second big wreck of the night. The first happened at the end of Stage 1, and it involved Christopher Bell and Ryan Blaney. The wreck ended Blaney’s night as he hit the wall hard.

It’s safe to say that this was the “Big One,” and with the Atlanta race being the start of NASCAR’s In-Season Tournament, it’s likely many brackets are busted. Denny Hamlin entered the tournament as the No. 1 seed, and if he couldn’t continue, he would be eliminated. Larson is also a favorite to win the tournament.

More on NASCAR’s second race in Atlanta

“I like the concept of the in-season bracket challenge, I feel like it’s a race within the race,” Larson said earlier this week. “This is something you pay attention to, and with money and a trophy on the line, we all want to win.”

This is the second NASCAR Cup Series race in Atlanta this season. Weeks before NASCAR returned to Atlanta, Speedway Motorsports announced that Atlanta Motor Speedway had been rebranded to EchoPark Speedway.

“We’re thrilled to partner with an innovative, customer-focused company like EchoPark Automotive as the entitlement partner of our newly named EchoPark Speedway,” Speedway Motorsports President and CEO Marcus Smith said in a press release. “EchoPark Automotive is as committed to exceptional customer service as we are, and we know that together we’ll elevate our fan experience to a new level unmatched for Southern hospitality. This partnership will fuel great experiences for fans attending our speedway for years to come.”