This Sunday’s race at Atlanta was cut short on account of the weather conditions during the final stretch of the race. Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron was given his 4th win of the season since he had been leading the pack at that time. Of course, ending the race in such circumstances isn’t something that the fans or fellow competitors want to see. After the race, former NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr tweeted his thoughts regarding the early stoppage of the race.
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In his tweet, he mentioned how he seconded NASCAR’s decision to call the race early while referencing what happened at another track.
Dale Earnhardt Jr agrees with NASCAR’s decision to end the race at Atlanta
Junior shared, “That was great racing tonight. As edgy as the cars were on a dry track, couldn’t restart it with sprinkles on the track. Woulda been Daytona all over again. Along with the rain came a ton of lightning within 8 miles. Right, call to end it. No one loves it, I don’t love it. But right call, I can not wait to come back here again. I have wanted Atlanta to be great and appreciated for so long.”
That was great racing tonight. As edgy as the cars were on a dry track, couldn’t restart it with sprinkles on the track. Woulda been Daytona all over again. Along with the rain came a ton of lightning within 8 miles. Right call to end it. No one loves it. I don’t love it. But…
— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) July 10, 2023
“I came here as a kid for decades, loving all the success Dad had here. Loved winning a race myself here. But the stands have been empty for some time now. Finally, we have reason to be excited about racing and big crowds at a track that I was worried we may lose forever.“
William Byron wins after rain cut the Quaker State 400 short
Earlier in the race there had been several problems that plagued Byron. Despite spinning out early in the race and receiving damage to his car, the HMS driver pushed through and eventually found himself in the lead in Stage 3. It was on Lap 167 of the race when Byron finally managed to take the lead for the race.
Right around then, 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace, Ryan Preece, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr managed to collide with each other bringing out yet another caution flag. Since that wreck, the caution stayed on as cars followed the pace car around the track, till the rain began pouring hard. That is when NASCAR decided to call the race, to avoid something like the Daytona rain incident.
In doing so, Byron who was in the lead before the caution, eventually became the race winner, thereby almost gifting him his 4th win this season. Though other drivers would have not preferred to have the race end this way, it was really the best decision NASCAR could have come up with, owing to driver safety.
