Posted on by Jessica Ruffin

HAMPTON, Ga. – Brad Keselowski took nearly everyone’s sick day excuses and ran over them with his race-winning car on Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Battling flu-like symptoms that caused the No. 2 driver to miss almost all of final practice Saturday and visit the infield care center for fluids, Keselowski paced the field for the final 33 laps to snatch the checkered flag in the series’ second race of the 2019 season.

“I wouldn’t have made this race yesterday, I was nowhere near good enough,” he said after the race. “I lost five-and-a-half, six pounds in less than 10 hours and I was going the wrong way quick. So, thankfully it all turned around late yesterday afternoon and appreciate the help of those in the care center to make it possible.”

Keselowski credited the attention from the infield care center and his wife, Paige – who was also sick – with nursing him to a passable state in time for the race. Without them, he might have had to call back-up driver Austin Cindric up for duty.

RELATED: Full Atlanta results

But no one can deny the pure toughness Keselowski displayed Sunday in Georgia. After all, this isn’t the first time the Team Penske driver has prevailed swimmingly under less-than-ideal health. In 2011, he powered to victory at Pocono Raceway with a broken left ankle that he suffered at a test at Road Atlanta days prior to the race.

Keselowski grinned when reminded of his hobbled, winning run eight years ago.

“I think a race car driver is who I am,” he said. “It’s what I do and what I love. I’m not going to let anything get in the way of it. With that in mind, obviously we had the team to win today. Of course, things still have to go your way, but I don’t want to be the reason why they don’t.

“I feel like you get a little bit of adrenaline in you and you can get over that stuff pretty quickly. And it might not be the most fun I’ve ever had as a race-car driver, but once you get to Victory Lane, you’re not going to remember the pain.”

The sense of duty to a team encourages a driver to compete because it’s bigger than just one person — it’s a whole team that has worked tirelessly on the car and is counting on the best possible shot at Victory Lane. That’s especially true for a strong group like Team Penske, whose cars aren’t considered up to par if they aren’t contending for wins. And as Keselowski noted, adrenaline helps a driver put aside those symptoms during a high-pressure event like race day.

None of that, however, can take away from the fact that Keselowski didn’t just cruise along to salvage a decent day or even nab some valuable stage points to pad out his spot in the points. He went out and battled with strong competitors – including a hard racing session with teammate and defending champion, Joey Logano. And he did it well enough to win at a slick track that’s considered one of the toughest on the circuit, becoming the winningest Team Penske driver ever with his 60th victory and recording the series’ first win with the new Ford Mustang — all while under illness.

Talk about overachieving.

“I’m in a little bit of a daze,” the 35-year-old driver admitted. “It was a long, tough race, and trying to rewind it all in my head, what all happened, and then think about what it means is a little difficult to do in the moment. … A lot of different things going through my mind. I guess it’s hard to put them all together. I’m hot and tired. But it’s certainly a very special day.”

WATCH: Kes says he “felt good enough to get the job done”

NASCAR drivers have a history of being tough — Dale Earnhardt wasn’t called “The Intimidator” or “Ironhead” for nothing. Today’s safety precautions have rightfully limited just how tough drivers can be; gone are the days when Richard Petty would race with a broken neck or Ricky Rudd would tape his swollen eyeballs open to run the Daytona 500. But the mental and physical toughness required to pilot a race car at nearly 200 mph for hours, inches away from other cars, is the same.

“There’s always somebody fighting through something, whether it be ‑‑ I think we’ve seen drivers with torn ACLs and broken fingers and wrists and things like that,” Keselowski said. “I don’t think you’re ever going to see guys taping their eyeballs open again, although I do think that was pretty cool. But there certainly is always going to be a part of this where you’re going to have to play when you’re not 100 percent.”

Most drivers will brush that impressive toughness notion aside, as Keselowski did Sunday night after his win. They’ll say it’s their job or they’ve got a good team around them or they’re always going for the win, no matter what.

And that’s all probably true.

But for the fans in the stands, it’s still pretty darn extraordinary to watch.

Posted on by Staff Report

Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer, talked shop shortly after Sunday’s checkered flag at Atlanta Motor Speedway, weighing in on the new rules package, a rescinded penalty for the team of runner-up Martin Truex Jr., and a scoring dispute caused by a caution period that disrupted a cycle of green-flag pit stops.

RELATED: Race results | Keselowski prevails

O’Donnell spoke with the media on pit road after Sunday’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500. He first assessed the 2019 rules package: a reduced-horsepower set-up with increased downforce, which made its intermediate-track debut on Atlanta’s 1.54-mile layout.

“I saw a fairly entertaining race,” O’Donnell said. “I think like we said going into this race, we didn’t know what to expect either. We thought that this package would showcase itself more as we got to the West Coast, but with some really long green-flag runs, I think you saw the ability to get back up to the leader and make a pass, which was encouraging. So all in all, we’re satisfied with the outcome. A lot of work to do to go back and review it, though.”

O’Donnell indicated that Atlanta’s characteristics increased the pre-race uncertainty levels, especially with the track’s well-worn surface, which was last repaved in 1997.

“I think this one was more of an unknown,” O’Donnell said. “When you looked at this race going in, I think for us, this was the biggest question mark as to how it would play out, so hard to say this is exactly how we predicted. Ultimately, we wanted cars to run closer together, we wanted a battle to play out for the lead at times, which we saw during the race. Some things certainly to work on, but ultimately I think it was the direction where we wanted to go.”

Regarding a rescinded late-race penalty on the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 19 Toyota team, O’Donnell indicated that the Pit Road Officiating (PRO) trailer initially spotted a crew member over the pit wall too soon during Truex’s final pit stop. A further, manual review of the infraction was inconclusive and the penalty was retracted.

“It was a non-penalty, so it automatically goes to the penalty sheet regardless of whether we override it in the (scoring) tower,” O’Donnell said, “and that was one that we couldn’t confirm that the foot was down via the camera angle, so we didn’t make that call.”

MORE: Truex irked after runner-up finish

O’Donnell also touched on questions raised by Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 9 team and driver Chase Elliott about where they were scored after the last of the race’s five yellow flags flew on the 273rd of 325 laps. The timing of the caution period came mid-cycle with pit stops, catching several cars a lap down and in need of a wave-around. Elliott and Co. argued that they had returned to the track ahead of Joey Logano, who was scored as the leader for the final restart.

“It’s very clear on the camera, so we’ll show the team exactly what happened,” O’Donnell said, “but it was about a five-second differential in terms of what it was.”

Posted on by Reid Spencer

HAMPTON, Ga. — Before finishing sixth in Sunday’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Kyle Busch got a good look at both ends of the field.

The 2015 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion started from the rear in a backup No. 18 Toyota, thanks to an accident in Saturday’s final practice session. Running the high line in a manner that resembled that of another Kyle — Larson — Busch worked his way forward, running as high as second after passing race runner-up Martin Truex Jr. on Lap 193.

RELATED: Full Atlanta results

During that green-flag run, however, Busch scraped the outside wall between Turns 1 and 2. On Lap 222, his right rear tire went flat, causing the fourth caution of the afternoon. Busch stayed on the lead lap but restarted at the rear and worked his way forward for the second time.

He was running sixth at the finish, having made a race-high 110 green-flag passes, according to NASCAR’s loop data.

“I got in the fence just a little bit in the center of (Turns) 1 and 2,” Busch said. “Just touched it and then kind of smelled some smoke and never saw any and thought we’d be OK. Overall, it just must have rubbed it and cut it down. Fortunately, we got a caution there. Caught us a break and was able to get tires on the thing and pull it back out and go back after them.

“What a hell of a weekend. … It was just evil-tight all day long. We just couldn’t get the tight out of it. We were battling and running the wall all day long, and that’s where I needed to be in order to make up any time. Doing that, you run close to the fence, and you run into opportunities to get yourself in trouble. Overall, salvaged a decent day, I guess. We can move on out of here with some positives.”

Posted on by Reid Spencer

HAMPTON, Ga. – Daniel Hemric was poised for a top-five finish in his second race as a full-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver until his fortunes changed dramatically in the closing laps of Sunday’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500.

Hemric had his No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet in fourth place on Lap 309 of 325 and was closing on third-place Kurt Busch when his right front tire deflated, forcing him to bring the car to pit road for an unscheduled stop.

The Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender lost a lap and finished 20th, a far cry from his running position a few laps earlier.

RELATED: Full Atlanta results

“It’s kind of heartbreaking for these guys we couldn’t get a solid top-five finish,” Hemric said. “I said I wanted to have an uneventful day and have a solid finish, and it was good to see that we were going to be able to run top-five there — just had a right-front tire come apart.

“I made a lot of mistakes on pit road today that I’ve got to get better with.”

But there was a silver lining. Hemric passed 97 cars under green-flag conditions, second only to Kyle Busch’s 110.

“The good thing is I feel like it put a little motivation in everybody here at RCR,” Hemric said. “That’s the kind of race cars we have to have at the race track every week to give ourselves a shot. It was fun to drive, fun to pass people, and look forward to next week (at Las Vegas).”

If Hemric felt disheartened by his finish, what about fellow Sunoco rookie Ryan Preece, who was running in the top 10 when his race came to an abrupt end on pit road? Preece was exiting his stall on Lap 273, looking down at his tachometer, when BJ McLeod slowed in front of him, looking for his pit stall.

Preece’s No. 47 JTG-Daugherty Chevrolet slammed into the back of McLeod’s No. 52 Camaro, damaging Preece’s car beyond repair. He was credited with a 35th-place finish on a day that had gone much better for the majority of the race.

“I was just trying to make sure I wasn’t speeding,” Preece explained. “And when I looked up, he was coming in the pits. So it’s a mistake. What are you going to do? It’s just unfortunate for us, because we were having a really good run.

“Like I said, we’re going to have some good cars this year. So if we can keep that up, we’ll be really good at Vegas, and I’m just really proud of everybody with JTG and Kroger. There’s nothing else you can do other than that. So I’m looking forward to next week.”

Posted on by Reid Spencer

Throughout much of Sunday’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Kyle Larson had the car to beat.

Larson took the green/checkered flag to win the race’s first stage. He led a race-high 142 of 325 laps and battled Kevin Harvick for the top spot throughout the second stage before trailing Harvick to the finish line.

RELATED: Larson, Harvick split stages

But Larson was guilty of speeding on pit road under caution on Lap 224. Sent to the back for the subsequent restart on Lap 228, Larson struggled in traffic with the new 2019 higher-downforce, lower-horsepower competition package and could only climb to 12th in the running order before the laps counted down.

MORE: Full Atlanta results

“Yeah, I had a good day going until I sped,” Larson said. “My car handled really good, and then once I got where I had to restart in the back, I was just really tight.

“Yeah, I mean, clean air is even more important nowadays than in the past I think, at least at a track like this. That was a little disappointing, but more just upset at myself for making a big mistake like that.”

Posted on by Staff Report

The race-winning Team Penske No. 2 Ford of Brad Keselowski has passed post-race inspection at Atlanta Motor Speedway with no issues.

The No. 2 Ford was found to be compliant with the 2019 NASCAR Rule Book after Sunday’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500. With the post-race teardown complete, the race results are official.

RELATED: Race results

Two cars were found with one lug nut not safely secured after a post-race check: the Leavine Family Racing No. 95 Toyota of 26th-place Matt DiBenedetto and the Richard Petty Motorsports No. 43 Chevrolet of 27th-place finisher Bubba Wallace. Both teams’ crew chiefs were fined $10,000 Monday. Because of a miscommunication, officials initially announced that the Germain Racing No. 13 team would be penalized, not the No. 43.

Competition officials also indicated that the Stewart-Haas Racing No. 4 Ford of fourth-place finisher Kevin Harvick would go to the NASCAR Research & Development Center in Concord, North Carolina for further review.

The post-race process is part of a new, more timely approach to inspection for all three NASCAR national series. Competition officials announced in February that thorough post-race inspections would take place shortly after the checkered flag at the track instead of midweek at the NASCAR Research & Development Center in Concord, North Carolina.

Those inspections come with a stiffer deterrence structure that includes disqualification for significant rules infractions — “a total culture change,” according to Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer. In the past, race-winning teams found in violation of the rules were penalized with post-race fines, points deductions and/or suspensions, but victories were allowed to stand.

Competition officials introduced the quicker post-race inspection timetable in an effort to make the results official on race day, aiming for a 90-minute target time frame to complete their scrutiny. The new post-race inspection process also was designed to deal with potential violations more promptly, avoiding any midweek news that might cloud the previous week’s results or the build-up to the following week’s event.

NASCAR will still inspect cars and parts at the R&D Center as needed, but the more comprehensive at-track inspection will take priority.

According to NASCAR statistical archives, the last time a premier series driver was disqualified occurred in 1973, when early retiree Buddy Baker was demoted to last place in the National 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The last time an apparent race winner in NASCAR’s top division was disqualified came on April 17, 1960, when Emanuel Zervakis’ victory at Wilson (N.C.) Speedway was thrown out because of an oversized fuel tank on his No. 85 Chevrolet.

Posted on by Zack Albert

Martin Truex Jr. came within a handful of car-lengths of catching eventual race winner Brad Keselowski in the final laps Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway. In the end, he was left to lament being held up as he attempted a late-race charge.

“It was just lapped cars,” Truex told FOX Sports as he exited his Joe Gibbs Racing No. 19 Toyota with a second-place finish. “It was a shame we got put in that position on that last restart. But that’s the way the caution fell.”

RELATED: Race results | Keselowski wins Atlanta

Truex settled for his fifth straight top-five finish at Atlanta in the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500. He sprang into contention after a caution flag flew with 53 laps to go in the midst of a pit-stop cycle.

Truex, in his first season with JGR, gave chase to Keselowski’s Team Penske No. 2 Ford. But his path was blocked by a handful of off-the-pace cars, including the No. 17 of Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who placed 18th as the first driver one lap down.

“They built a great race car here, and man, I could taste that one. I really wanted that first Atlanta win,” Truex said. “Just the 17 rode there in front of us forever and ever running the bottom, and I kept telling him I needed the bottom, and these cars are just so bad in dirty air that he was holding me up really bad. Once I got around him, I drove — got to the 2 car in two laps. I just needed one more.

“Unfortunate we had a great car, and like I said, the guys did a great job.  Just a little upset. We had the best car. We probably should have won that one.”

Posted on by Reid Spencer

HAMPTON, Ga. – Too sick to start practice on Saturday, Brad Keselowski found the cure to what ailed him in Sunday’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Still suffering from the effects of stomach flu, Keselowski held off a charging — and frustrated — Martin  Truex Jr. in the closing circuits of the 325-lap Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race and powered his No. 2 Team Penske Ford across the finish line .218 seconds ahead of Truex’s No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

RELATED: Official race results | SHOP: Keselowski gear

The victory was Keselowski’s first of the season and the first for the new Ford Mustang in the Cup series. The 2012 champion won for the second time at Atlanta and for the 60th in Roger Penske equipment (all series combined), breaking a tie with the late Mark Donohue.

Despite his illness, Keselowski reveled in the accomplishment.

“I think any win means a lot, but that’s a big number,” Keselowski said. “Now I get to wear that yellow Mark Donohue helmet, so here we go — we’re going to wear it next week.

“But what a tremendous honor. This day is … Wow, I don’t even know how to put it in words. I’m just excited for this team, first race with the new rules or whatever they’re called now, and to be able to win it, that’s really special.”

After he pulled out to a substantial lead after the final restart on Lap 283 — following a caution for a pit road accident involving Ryan Preece and B.J. McLeod — Keselowski had two concerns: an overheating engine and tire issues that had forced teammates Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney to pit road for unscheduled stops late in the race.

As Keselowski was nursing his car toward the finish in the final 10 laps, Truex closed dramatically, cutting Keselowski’s advantage to .181 seconds with two circuits left. On Lap 324 Keselowski blocked Truex’s line off Turn 4 and hammered it to the finish line a lap later.

“We ran over a piece of debris with, I don’t know, probably 50 laps to go and overheated really bad, and I thought there was no way this engine would make it to the end,” Keselowski said. “But (engine builder) Doug Yates and his team, they do a great job.

“I’m pretty sure it’s all used up, Doug, but it’s in Victory Lane, so that’s OK, right?”

As he chased Keselowski, Truex grew frustrated with lapped traffic, particularly with outside front-row starter Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who was running in the “lucky dog” position, hugging the bottom lane of the race track.

RELATED: Truex upset with second

Because the fifth and final caution had interrupted a cycle of pit stops after all the lead-lap drivers save Logano and eventual third-place finisher Kurt Busch had come to pit road, Truex restarted behind lapped cars on Lap 283 after he and the majority of the field took wave-arounds.

“It was a shame we got put in that position on that last restart, but that’s the way the caution fell,” Truex said. “Man, I could taste that one. I really wanted that first Atlanta win. Just the 17 (Stenhouse) rode there in front of us forever and ever running the bottom, and I kept telling him I needed the bottom (through spotters), and these cars are just so bad in dirty air that he was holding me up really bad.

“Once I got around him, I got to the 2 car (Keselowski) in two laps. I just needed one more. Unfortunate we had a great car, and like I said, the guys did a great job. Just a little upset. We had the best car. We probably should have won that one.”

Stenhouse Jr. got a strong start from the top lane at the initial green flag and charged past pole winner Aric Almirola off Turn 4 to lead the first lap. Almirola got the spot back on Lap 2, but two lead changes in the first two laps was nevertheless a promising omen for the new higher-downforce, lower-horsepower competition package NASCAR introduced this year.

The second stage of the race produced a compelling battle for the lead between defending race winner Kevin Harvick and first stage winner Kyle Larson. Those two drivers swapped the top spot nine times between Laps 88 and 162, with Harvick prevailing in the second stage.

MORE: Harvick, Larson divide stage wins

But the handling of Harvick’s Ford tightened up in the late going as shadows shrouded Turns 1 and 2, and the 2014 series champion rolled home in fourth place. Zapped with a pit road speeding penalty and sent to the back of the field for a restart on Lap 228—after Kyle Busch cut a right rear tire to cause the fourth caution—Larson struggled in traffic and finished 12th.

Clint Bowyer ran fifth, with Kyle Busch recovering to finish sixth. Erik Jones, Almirola, Chris Buescher and Daniel Suarez completed the top 10.

Posted on by Staff Report

Which channels have NASCAR programming this week? We answer that and give you the weekly NASCAR television listings here in the NASCAR TV schedule.

Note: All times are ET.

MORE: Get the NBC Sports App | How to find FS1 | Get FOX Sports App | How to find NBCSN

Monday, Feb. 25
5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1/FOX Sports App

On MRN
3 p.m., MRN Outloud

Tuesday, Feb. 26
3 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub (re-air), FS1/FOX Sports App
4 a.m., NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Atlanta 200 (re-air), FS1/FOX Sports App
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1/FOX Sports App
10 p.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 (re-air), FS2/FOX Sports App

On MRN
9 a.m., The Tough Tracks of NASCAR: Episode 2
7 p.m., NASCAR Live

Wednesday, Feb. 27
2 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub (re-air), FS1/FOX Sports App
6 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1/FOX Sports App

On MRN
1 p.m., NASCAR Coast to Coast
3 p.m., Crew Call

Thursday, Feb. 28
4 p.m., Dale Jr. Download, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1/FOX Sports App

Friday, Mar. 1
3 p.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice, FS1/FOX Sports App (Canada: TSN1)
4 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series practice, FS1/FOX Sports App (Canada: TSN App)
5 p.m., NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series, FS1/FOX Sports App
6:30 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series final practice, FS1/FOX Sports App (Canada: TSN App)
7:30 p.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series qualifying, FS1/FOX Sports App (Canada: TSN App)
8:30 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay: NGOTS Las Vegas, FS1/FOX Sports App
9 p.m., NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Strat 200, FS1/FOX Sports App

On MRN
8:30 p.m., NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Strat 200

Saturday, Mar. 2
6 a.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series qualifying (re-air), FS1/FOX Sports App
7 a.m., NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Strat 200 (re-air), FS1/FOX Sports App
11:30 a.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice, FS1/FOX Sports App (Canada: TSN2) CANCELED
12:30 p.m, NASCAR Xfinity Series qualifying, FS1/FOX Sports App (Canada: TSN App) CANCELED
1:30 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub Weekend Edition, FS1/FOX Sports App
2:30 p.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series final practice, FS1/FOX Sports App (Canada: TSN2)
3:30 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay: Xfinity Las Vegas, FS1/FOX Sports App
4 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series Boyd Gaming 300, FS1/FOX Sports App (Canada: TSN2)
7 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay: Xfinity Las Vegas, FS1/FOX Sports App
10 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series Boyd Gaming 300 (re-air), FS2/FOX Sports App

Sunday, Mar. 3
6:30 a.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series Boyd Gaming 300 (re-air), FS1/FOX Sports App
2 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay: Las Vegas, FS1/FOX Sports App
3 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay, FOX/FOX Sports App
3:30 p.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube, FOX/FOX Sports App (Canada: TSN1, 3)

Posted on by Staff Report

Kevin Harvick sped past Kyle Larson on the low side of Atlanta Motor Speedway eight laps before the conclusion of Stage 2 to capture the stage win at Sunday’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500.

MORE: Stage 2 results

Larson had comfortably led the field for 24 straight laps in Stage 2 before Harvick stalked down the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet and finally passed it in his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford on Lap 153.

Larson managed to reclaim the lead one lap later, but Harvick regained the front position eight laps later. It marked Harvick’s first stage win of the season when he led at the conclusion of the stage on Lap 170.

Harvick started the stage in the lead after his crew helped him off pit road first at the Stage 1 break, but Larson battled back to the front of the field by Lap 111 of the scheduled 325-lap race.

Finish Driver Team Race Points
1 Kevin Harvick  Stewart-Haas Racing 10
2 Kyle Larson  Chip Ganassi Racing 9
3 Martin Truex Jr.  Joe Gibbs Racing 8
4 Ryan Blaney  Team Penske 7
5 Denny Hamlin  Joe Gibbs Racing 6
6 Joey Logano  Team Penske 5
7 Kurt Busch  Chip Ganassi Racing 4
8 Erik Jones  Joe Gibbs Racing 3
9 Kyle Busch  Joe Gibbs Racing 2
10 Clint Bowyer  Stewart-Haas Racing 1

 

STAGE 1

Kyle Larson cruised to his first stage win of the season when he took the lead following a competition caution Sunday in the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

MORE: Full Stage 1 results

Larson, who started the race seventh, had moved into second behind pole-sitter Aric Almirola by the time the mandatory caution flag came out on Lap 35 because of overnight rain.

But Larson was faster off pit road in his No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet and maintained his lead until Stage 1 ended on Lap 85.

Kevin Harvick, a two-time winner at Atlanta, finished second in the stage in his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford, as Almirola dropped to third in his No. 10 SHR Ford.

Kyle Busch, who started at the rear of the field after going to a backup car following a crash in practice Saturday, was 12th in the stage after rising as high as fifth.

Finish Driver Team Race Points
1 Kyle Larson  Chip Ganassi Racing 10
2 Kevin Harvick  Stewart-Haas Racing 9
3 Aric Almirola  Stewart-Haas Racing 8
4 Kurt Busch  Chip Ganassi Racing 7
5 Martin Truex Jr.  Joe Gibbs Racing 6
6 Ryan Blaney  Team Penske 5
7 Joey Logano  Team Penske 4
8 Denny Hamlin  Joe Gibbs Racing 3
9 Ricky Stenhouse Jr.  Roush Fenway Racing 2
10 Clint Bowyer  Stewart-Haas Racing 1