On one year: NASCAR closest to see the three-wide photo finish again

Just before the start of 2025 season, Daniel Suarez, Kyle BuschAnd Ryan Blani All met together for screening a private theater of the documentary about the three-wide finish that created their history from the Atlanta race on February 25, 2024. He runs for the partner flag. NASCAR brought them all together, about a year later, to see, laugh and explain their mindset through every important moment of last year’s thriller, crossing all the lines with the three, and eventually Suarez Was seen breaking a long line of zero victory.

To surprise anyone, it was not late for the first race of last year in Atlanta, as 16 cars were piled into a lap 2 crash. Among the people involved were Suarez, who was lucky to escape the rubble with a competitive car. Busch and Blane did not even know that the final race winner was swept away in the initial scuffle, both of them expressed surprise when it was stated in the documentary.

Suarez pointed his car in a cloud of smoke, saying, “My left front was a little damaged, but it was not bad.” “My hood just a little pop up. Fortunately, the splitter was in the correct position. “He also throws in a pinch about looking back at number 54 Ti gibes Instead of focusing further, taking him into the rubble. “I was looking in my mirror because I knew that he was coming 10MPh from me fast.”

During this race, nine were careful for on-track events, making it a game of survival as the drivers struggled to keep their cars clean. With about 20 laps, there was a moment to stop a heart when Suarez made his charge back to the front-while everyone was left out as a car. Two drivers in the middle – Denny Hamlin And Chase briskoDid not make it through a corner without an accident.

“This was all your mistake,” Bush smiled and said that he looked back. “You can’t do four-wide (3 turn) … I am happy that I got hell from there.” Blane again said: “I like your bail for the fence step.”

Rapid forward for the final accident, where Suarez was ahead of the blue at the time of caution. This gave Suarez full control to the checker flag for the last five-lap dash, the black tape still reflects the fight mark on its hood.

On going to Atlanta, Suarez was staring at the 57-race winner streak, staring at the trackhouse with rumming with a rumming hanging on his head about his future. The pressure was tremendous. To make the cases worse, the defending cup series champion was directly behind him. And in the third there was Busch, one of the most successful drivers in NASCAR history.

In choosing a lane for a significant restaurant, Suarez explained: “I knew that 12 (Bulni) and 2 (syndrics) were faster than me, so I knew that the level of faith was more with 8 (Bush), and 8 What he thought was very good.

Eventually, the option of dance partners was about to be irrelevant within a lap of restart. This was the advantage of Suarez at first, but he failed to block Bulni backstrate. Number 12 made his way out of Suarez, making Suarez a shot in the rear bumper as he retrieved the top.

“Bloni is not careful,” Bush commented. “He is not going to lift. He is going to kill you as much as it takes.”

Knowing that he was not going to win as a second car in the lines below, Suarez forced his way in the top lane. By doing this the air was interrupted and sent Martin Truex JuniorWay to track. “Sorry Martin!” Suarez laughing. But remained in the blue lead. Suarez and Busch ran a door-to-door for the runner-up position in the White Flag and it seemed as if there would be neither a shot in victory. Really, they will all do.

Suarez was trying to score a run, but there was just one problem: he was trying to catch a pension car with another pencas car directly behind him, and Austin syndric He was not interested in assisting his efforts.

“You can see that 47 (Stenhouses) is trying to go to its butt, but 2 (syndrics) would not push 99 (Suarez),” Busch saw. This led to a gap between Suarez and Blane, and the open crack to the door was also enough for an invitation for a two -time cup shampoo.

When dividing the cars of Bloni and Suarez like a wedge, a sensational is moved up in the middle. It should have ended in the disaster, but all three drivers kept their intellect about them.

“Top three! Top three! Top three!” Suarez’s Spotter, Frankie Kimmel shouted. Busch was pulling the air from the right-rear of the Bulni entering Turn 3 and Suarez was doing the same for Busch from the third lane. It brought all three together in a spectacle for age. They were exiting the last corner, in which no one was pushing them.

It looked in the formation like fighter pilots as they dragged from the line. As the checker flag flew, no one really could tell who won. Fox commentator and former nascar cup series driver Clint Bauyer It was initially called for Bleni, but the authorities immediately terminated under the review.

“Uh, I don’t know …” Bush’s spotter, Derek Niland said.

“Everyone was looking around,” said Matt Swiderski, head of the crew of Suarez. “The crew members were looking back to me as I knew what the answer was at that point.”

But what the drivers saw, what about it? It turned out that it was not much. “I think, I knew that I had got the kyle because I look right (as we run) under the Frontrech,” Blane said. “But I could not see Daniel so I did not know.”

Suarez replied: “It was exactly the same. I was just inch in 8 (Busch), but my spotter was saying ‘two inside’ and I said: ‘Where is the man of the cat?’ I could not see anything. ,

After about thirty seconds, Suarez’s number 99 was finally declared the winner and the ceremony was enraged by pits. Even his team’s companions, Ross chasteanDragged to the Start/Finnish line to give your greetings.

“It was very close,” Suarez smiled, who could hardly believe it, as he was being interviewed after victory.

Suarez best blowed only 0.003s in one of the five nearest finish in the history of NASCAR. In the third, Bush was only 0.007s, making it the nearest three-wide finish. Made history.

While they can now laugh about it, the disappointment in getting so close was clear in the post -radio communication after the race.

“damn man. Ahhh, “Radio was given to Bulni.

“Yes. Yes. Yes. This would not be another, ”Busch sarcastically radiated.

Atlanta: Home for some of the most reputed photo finish in NASCAR

Now, Atlanta is not a stranger for photo finish, NASCAR and Speedway Motorsports Inc. Even before the 2021 reconstruction was completely overhalling the design of the track. Earlier, in 2000, Dell Arnhard defeated Bobby lebonate From only 0.010. A year later incorporating the replacement of late Arnhard in an emotional closing, Kevin HarvickThe erstwhile Ruki defeated Jeff gordon Only by 0.006s. In 2005, NASCAR Hall of Famer Carl Edwards When he did the best he did his first win as a cup driver backflip Jimmy Johnson To win your first career. But 2024 was completely something else, partly because it was a very different track despite the same name.

When NASCAR decided to make Atlanta in some type of supersedway-intermediat track hybrid with pack racing around 1.5-mile speedway, it raised some eyebrows and clear reasons. Crying far away from the old Atlanta, this new version has already united its place in the pages of NASCAR history after three years.

“Old Atlanta probably didn’t do the best show to see, sitting on the couch,” Blann admitted. Busch, which always supports old -worn surfaces, as they have fun to drive, even accepting that the new Atlanta “does some best action for fans”.

NASCAR took Atlanta up to 500 at a follow-up show in 2024, kicking the season for a back-to-back pack race. It creates for an expensive two weeks, with unavoidable multi-car crash that is produced by such close quarter racing. But Atlanta surprised everyone, including drivers.

“It can be easily that the three of us only caused pancakes, sandwiches together and a big S *** show at the end of this,” Blane said. “It smells smells. You don’t win the race, but I can’t worry about it. I have won with a joint amount of eight feet like three times. I have been on its good side for some time, so if I have been on its good side for some time I lost one leg, so I could not be very upset about it … it was a good finish. “

And it is true that it is especially held in such a high relationship-it was not Atlanta that we knew and the huge tire loved with a fall-off and the driver slipped and slipping and sliding a ridiculous volume straight down . It was still rarely seen in the modern NASCAR.

Even in a pack race, where the victory of an early season meant that there was no playoff worry for months, all drivers ran with respect. Suarez, the possibility of being desperate for a win, just did not slam the door on the bush and everyone entered the bend 3. Blann did not push the track and drove the other two out of the way. This was a proper battle for checker flags – crying far away from the debris that plagues to end the other pack race continuously. Just see this week where we move ahead of a Detona 500 that ended with the top-five finisars, all of which crashed into each other in the last lap. This is the expected result these days, which makes 2024 Atlanta so special. Hopefully, we will get to see a sequel on Sunday.