In a three-wide drag race to the start/finish line at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday, NASCAR Cup Series driver Daniel Suarez nipped runner-up Ryan Blaney and Kyle Busch by less than a hundredth of a second.
The margin between Suarez and Blaney was clocked at 0.003 seconds, the third-closest win in Cup history. Busch followed 0.004 seconds later.
Blaney, the reigning circuit champion, led six times for 31 laps.
“I felt great about how the race went,” Blaney said, as reported by NASCAR.com. “Just in that moment, you’re like, ‘Damn. That sucks.’
“We just lost by three inches right?”
Busch raced in the lead pack for much of the event at the reconfigured 1.54-mile quad-oval track, leading six times for 28 rotations. But after Austin Dillon, a Richard Childress Racing teammate, crashed on Lap 2, and finished 22nd. He was out of contention to help Busch.
“All of my friends disintegrated and went away throughout the day,” Busch said.
Busch will look to find friends in Las Vegas next weekend.
This is what 0.003 seconds looks like. 👀 pic.twitter.com/g03Y91HQcC
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) February 26, 2024
NASCAR Weekend Schedule
Here is a list of NASCAR’s events this weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (All Times ET):
Friday
- 4:35 p.m.: Truck Series practice
- 5:05 p.m.: Truck Series qualifying
- 6:35 p.m.: Xfinity Series practice
- 7:05 p.m. Xfinity Series qualifying
- 9 p.m.: Truck Series Victoria’s Voice Foundation 200 race
Saturday
- 2:05 p.m.: Cup Series practice
- 2:50 p.m.: Cup Series qualifying
- 5 p.m.: Xfinity Series The LiUNA! race
Sunday
- 3:30 p.m.: Cup Series Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube race
The moment we’ve been waiting for is here…it’s race week, baby! 🏁
🗣️ LETS GOOOOOOOO pic.twitter.com/u727rZHJeb
— Las Vegas Motor Speedway (@LVMotorSpeedway) February 26, 2024
NASCAR Cup Series Pennzoil 400 Entry List
Entry, Driver, Team, Car No.
- 1, Ross Chastain, Trackhouse Racing, No. 1 Chevrolet
- 2, Austin Cindric, Team Penske, No. 2 Ford
- 3, Austin Dillon, Richard Childress Racing, No. 3 Chevrolet
- 4, Josh Berry, Stewart-Haas Racing, No. 4 Ford
- 5, Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports, No. 5 Chevrolet
- 6, Brad Keselowski, RFK Racing, No. 6 Ford
- 7, Corey LaJoie, Spire Motorsports, No. 7 Chevrolet
- 8, Kyle Busch, Richard Childress Racing, No. 8 Chevrolet
- 9, Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports, No. 9 Chevrolet
- 10, Noah Gragson, Stewart-Haas Racing, No. 10 Ford
- 11, Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing, No. 11 Toyota
- 12, Ryan Blaney, Team Penske, No. 12 Ford
- 13, Chase Briscoe, Stewart-Haas Racing, No. 14 Ford
- 14, Kaz Grala, Rick Ware Racing, No. 15 Ford
- 15, Derek Kraus, Kaulig Racing, No. 16 Chevrolet
- 16, Chris Buescher, RFK Racing, No. 17 Ford
- 17, Martin Truex Jr., Joe Gibbs Racing, No. 19 Toyota
- 18, Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing, No. 20 Toyota
- 19, Harrison Burton, Wood Brothers Racing, No. 21 Ford
- 20, Joey Logano, Team Penske, No. 22 Ford
- 21, Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing, No. 23 Toyota
- 22, William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports, No. 24 Chevrolet
- 23, Daniel Hemric, Kaulig Racing, No. 31 Chevrolet
- 24, Michael McDowell, Front Row Motorsports, 34 Ford
- 25, Todd Gilliland, Front Row Motorsports, No. 38 Ford
- 26, Ryan Preece, Stewart-Haas Racing, No. 41 Ford
- 27, John Hunter Nemechek, Legacy Motor Club, No. 42 Chevrolet
- 28, Erik Jones, Legacy Motor Club, No. 43 Chevrolet
- 29, JJ Yeley, NY Racing Team, No. 44 Chevrolet
- 30, Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing, No.45 Toyota
- 31, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., JTG Daugherty Racing, No. 47 Chevrolet
- 32, Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports, No. 48 Chevrolet
- 33, Justin Haley, Rick Ware Racing, No. 51 Ford
- 34, Ty Gibbs, Joe Gibbs Racing, No. 54 Toyota
- 35, Zane Smith, Spire Motorsports, No. 71 Chevrolet
- 36, Carson Hocevar, Spire Motorsports, No. 77 Chevrolet
- 37, Daniel Suárez, Trackhouse Racing, No. 99 Chevrolet
We were all thinking the same thing, @Blaney. 😂 pic.twitter.com/hv90BciGxk
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) February 26, 2024
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