Byron Wins at New-Look Atlanta

William Byron won the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 from the newly-reconfigured Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday afternoon.

Byron led a race-high 111 laps on Sunday, but had to defend against big runs throughout numerous restarts in the final 10 laps.

Mike Mulholland/Getty Images

Atlanta Motor Speedway was reconfigured over the offseason, with higher banking that made the racing resemble a superspeedway.

Byron said he had to manage the closing laps as if it were Daytona or Talladega.

“It was so different,” Byron said.  “The last few laps just trying to manage the gap to Bubba [Wallace] and trying to not get too far out front. Had an intermediate style with a little bit of a speedway into it.”

Byron struggled with the car’s handling during Saturday’s practice session, but said that his team worked hard overnight to give him a car capable of winning.

“This whole team...they’ve done a great job this year,” Byron said.  “Had a pretty rough practice. Worked hard overnight…and it handled well.”

Ross Chastain ran up front early, but a flat tire caused him to hit the wall while leading midway through the race. After making repairs that kept him on track, Chastain was able to recover to finish second for the second-consecutive week.

Chastain said the team worked hard to keep him running following the accident.

“Slammed the wall and thought our day was over,” Chastain said.  “Our guys went underneath the car and got the toe closer, and we got the balance back to drive it. That’s the fight in Trackhouse.”

Unofficial results:

1. William Byron

2. Ross Chastain

3. Kurt Busch

4. Daniel Suarez

5. Corey LaJoie

6. Chase Elliott

7. Chris Buescher

8. Martin Truex Jr.

9. Joey Logano

10. Alex Bowman

11. Justin Haley

12. Brad Keselowski

13. Bubba Wallace

14. Erik Jones

15. Chase Briscoe

16. Josh Bilicki

17. Ryan Blaney

18. David Ragan

19. BJ McLeod

20. Greg Biffle

21. Kevin Harvick

22. Aric Almirola

23. Christopher Bell

24. Michael McDowell

25. Harrison Burton

26. Cody Ware

27. Todd Gilliland

28. Tyler Reddick

29. Denny Hamlin

30. Kyle Larson

31. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

32. Austin Cindric

33. Kyle Busch

34. Cole Custer

35. Austin Dillon

36. Ty Dillon

37. Noah Gragson

Sean Gardner/Getty Images

Briscoe Breaks Out with First Career Win at Phoenix

Chase Briscoe won the Ruoff Mortgage 500 from Phoenix Raceway on Sunday afternoon to pick up his first career victory.

Briscoe took the lead late in the race and had to defend against Chase Elliott over the final long run of the day. After a late caution bunched up the field, Briscoe held off Ross Chastain and Tyler Reddick over the final two restarts.

Logan Reily/Getty Images

Briscoe, who at one point in his career slept on a friend’s couch and volunteered at his race shop, said his first career victory was an emotional one.

“I was crying the whole last lap,” Briscoe said.  “Seven years ago…I was literally driving home to give up. I just have to thank everyone who’s gotten me to this point.”

Briscoe said it was a dream come true to get to victory lane driving for his hero Tony Stewart.

“This is definitely a team win,” Briscoe said.  “Driving at the organization and team that was my hero growing up and to get this 14 back in victory lane…unbelievable.”

Chastain held off Reddick on the final restart, but he was unable to challenge Briscoe over the final two laps.

Chastain said he was happy to have the chance to race for the victory in just his fourth start with Trackhouse Racing.

“Trackhouse Racing…believed in me early in the season whenever stuff wasn’t going great,” Chastain said.  “That was so much fun to get to race like that at this level.”

“That’s so cool to be able to race with Tyler and Chase. That’s everything I’ve ever wanted.”

Unofficial results:

1. Chase Briscoe

2. Ross Chastain

3. Tyler Reddick

4. Ryan Blaney

5. Kurt Busch

6. Kevin Harvick

7. Kyle Busch

8. Joey Logano

9. Daniel Suarez

10. Chris Buescher

11. Chase Elliott

12. Aric Almirola

13. Denny Hamlin

14. Alex Bowman

15. Ty Dillon

16. Cole Custer

17. Justin Haley

18. William Byron

19. Todd Gilliland

20. AJ Allmendinger

21. Austin Dillon

22. Bubba Wallace

23. Brad Keselowski

24. Austin Cindric

25. Erik Jones

26. Christopher Bell

27. Michael McDowell

28. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

29. Harrison Burton

30. Landon Cassill

31. Cody Ware

32. Garrett Smithley

33. BJ McLeod

34. Kyle Larson

35. Martin Truex Jr.

36. Corey LaJoie

Sean Gardner/Getty Images

Bowman Steals Victory in Las Vegas

Alex Bowman won the Pennzoil 400 from the Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday afternoon.

Bowman ran inside the Top 10 for most of the race, but he wasn’t a factor at the front until the very last restart.  Bowman restarted on the front row after he took two tires on the final pit stop before overtime.

Bowman raced side-by-side with teammate Kyle Larson over the final two laps, and he was able to come away with his first win of the season after pulling ahead of his teammate on the final lap.

Meg Oliphant/Getty Images

Bowman said his car was fast throughout the race, but that he didn’t have the track position to show off the cars’ capabilities.

“What a call by [crew chief] Greg Ives and the guys to take two there; obviously it paid off,” Bowman said.  “This thing was fast all day. Just never really had the track position we needed to show it.”

Kyle Busch fought with his teammate Martin Truex Jr. over the final 40 laps as the two drivers dueled for the lead.  Busch held the lead when the final caution of the day came out for an incident involving Erik Jones and Bubba Wallace.

Busch was the first driver who took four tires on the final pit stop, but he didn’t have enough laps to contend for the victory and settled for a 4th-place finish.

Busch wrecked in qualifying on Saturday, and his team spent the rest of the day building the backup car to make it race-ready.

Busch said all four Joe Gibbs Racing teams came together to build him the car that drove from the back to the front.

“True testament to everybody at Joe Gibbs Racing,” Busch said.  “Really appreciate…my guys, but also the 11, 19 and 20. Everybody had a hand in helping make us go today, so really appreciate that.”

“We were fast at the end and just trying to do what I could to hold the lead there with Truex.  Wasn’t meant to be, not our day.”

Unofficial results:

1. Alex Bowman

2. Kyle Larson

3. Ross Chastain

4. Kyle Busch

5. William Byron

6. Aric Almirola

7. Tyler Reddick

8. Martin Truex Jr.

9. Chase Elliott

10. Christopher Bell

11. Austin Dillon

12. Kevin Harvick

13. Kurt Busch

14. Joey Logano

15. Corey LaJoie

16. Harrison Burton

17. Justin Haley

18. Chris Buescher

19. Austin Cindric

20. Ty Dillon

21. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

22. Daniel Hemric

23. Todd Gilliland

24. Brad Keselowski

25. Bubba Wallace

26. Cody Ware

27. Michael McDowell

28. BJ McLeod

29. Josh Bilicki

30. Garrett Smithley

31. Erik Jones

32. Denny Hamlin

33. Cole Custer

34. Greg Biffle

35. Chase Briscoe

36. Ryan Blaney

37. Daniel Suarez

Meg Oliphant/Getty Images

Larson Picks Up First Win of the Season in California

Kyle Larson won the Wise Power 400 from Auto Club Speedway on Sunday afternoon to pick up his first win of the season.

Larson started from the back on Sunday due to unapproved adjustments prior to the race, and he worked his way to the front as the race went on. 

Tyler Reddick was dominant in the first half of the race, but a flat tire and contact with William Byron ended his day and allowed Larson to get control.

Meg Oliphant/Getty Images

Larson said problems for some of the faster drivers allowed him to get to the front.

“There were definitely some guys that were quicker than us, but they had their misfortunes,” Larson said.  “Just kept our heads in it all day.”

Larson said he struggled with his car’s handling during practice, but that his team worked hard on making the right adjustments overnight.

“Hard work all weekend there,” Larson said.  “Didn’t feel great in practice yesterday; [Crew Chief] Cliff Daniels and everybody made some good adjustments overnight and the car handled a lot better.”

Reddick’s teammate Austin Dillon ran in the top 15 for most of the day on Sunday, but quick pit stops allowed him to get track position as multiple cautions flew late in the race.

Dillon said his team kept his car in contention.

“Those guys were amazing, they kept us in the race,” Dillon said.  “We were really struggling at the beginning; kept adjusting on it and the cleaner air we got, the better we got.”

Unofficial results:

1. Kyle Larson

2. Austin Dillon

3. Erik Jones

4. Daniel Suarez

5. Joey Logano

6. Aric Almirola

7. Kevin Harvick

8. Kurt Busch

9. Daniel Hemric

10. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

11. Cole Custer

12. Austin Cindric

13. Martin Truex Jr.

14. Kyle Busch

15. Denny Hamlin

16. Chase Briscoe

17. Ty Dillon

18. Ryan Blaney

19. Bubba Wallace

20. Todd Gilliland

21. Garrett Smithley

22. BJ McLeod

23. Justin Haley

24. Tyler Reddick

25. Alex Bowman

26. Chase Elliott

27. Brad Keselowski

28. Corey LaJoie

29. Ross Chastain

30. Josh Bilicki

31. Michael McDowell

32. Cody Ware

33. Harrison Burton

34. William Byron

35. Chris Buescher

36. Christopher Bell

James Gilbert/Getty Images

Rookie Austin Cindric Holds Off Bubba Wallace to Win Daytona 500

Austin Cindric won the Daytona 500 on Sunday afternoon from the Daytona International Speedway to pick up his first career victory.

Cindric ran up front for most of the day as part of a group of Fords that controlled the lead for a majority of the race.

The 2020 Xfinity Series Champion and Cup Series rookie won in just his eighth career start, and said he was surrounded with great people at his team who helped him get to victory lane to kick off his rookie campaign.

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

“I’m surrounded by great people, that’s all there is to it,” Cindric said.  “I know there’s going to be highs and lows when you’re a rookie in a field of drivers this strong.  I’m just grateful for the opportunity and excited for the climb…we’ve got ahead of us.”

Cindric was the leader before they headed to Overtime, and was able to stay at the front of the field with help from his Team Penske teammate Ryan Blaney. Headed into the trioval, Blaney tried going to the outside of Cindric following a push from Bubba Wallace, but the rookie was able to throw a block to hold off the field.

Cindric thanked his teammate following the race for the push that helped get to the lead.

“I appreciate Ryan being a great teammate,” Cindric said.  “Obviously he wants to win one.”

Wallace picked up his second runner-up finish in the Daytona 500, and said he was disappointed with this one.

“I’m going to be pissed off about this one for awhile,” Wallace said.  “I was happy on the first second place we got a couple years ago; this one just sucks when you’re that close.”

“I thought our Toyota teammates did good work until they got picked off.  Just dejected; the thing that keeps me up is just the hard work…from everybody at 23XI.”

Unofficial results:

1. Austin Cindric

2. Bubba Wallace

3. Chase Briscoe

4. Ryan Blaney

5. Aric Almirola

6. Kyle Busch

7. Michael McDowell

8. David Ragan

9. Brad Keselowski

10. Chase Elliott

11. Ty Dillon

12. Daniel Hemric

13. Martin Truex Jr.

14. Corey LaJoie

15. Landon Cassill

16. Chris Buescher

17. Cody Ware

18. Daniel Suarez

19. Kurt Busch

20. Cole Custer

21. Joey Logano

22. Jacques Villeneuve

23. Justin Haley

24. Alex Bowman

25. Austin Dillon

26. Kaz Grala

27. BJ McLeod

28. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

29. Erik Jones

30. Kevin Harvick

31. Noah Gragson

32. Kyle Larson

33. Todd Gilliland

34. Christopher Bell

35. Tyler Reddick

36. Greg Biffle

37. Denny Hamlin

38. William Byron

39. Harrison Burton

40. Ross Chastain

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

Joey Logano Wins The Clash from the LA Coliseum

 Joey Logano won the Busch Light Clash on Sunday afternoon from the LA Coliseum.

The season-opening exhibition race was hyped up for months, as it was the debut of NASCAR’s Next Gen car.  Held at a track other than the Daytona International Speedway for the first time, the race was run on a 1/4 mile track in the LA Coliseum that was built in less than two months. 

Logano echoed many who were part of the race when he said this event was a win for NASCAR.

“This is an amazing event,” Logano said.  “Such a huge step in our industry to be able to do this.  Put on an amazing race for everybody.”

Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

Kyle Busch was dominant throughout the weekend, and won the pole and his qualifying heat.  After leading the most laps, Busch lost the lead to Logano on a late restart and wasn’t able to get back to the front to challenge for the lead.

Logano said his team found speed overnight after struggling in practice.

“The guys working on the car did an amazing job to find our speed,” Logano said.  “This is special; to get the first Next Gen win, first win out here at the Coliseum.  It’s a special one.”

Busch said he used up his equipment trying to catch back up to Logano with the laps winding down.

“I was being perfect, doing everything I thought I needed to do to keep the tires underneath me,” Busch said.  “When I got close…just overheated the tires and smoked them in three laps.”

“Disappointing…came out here, win the pole, lead laps, run up front.  The finish goes green and it’s not chaotic and we can’t win.”

Unofficial results:

1. Joey Logano

2. Kyle Busch

3. Austin Dillon

4. Erik Jones

5. Kyle Larson

6. William Byron

7. Cole Custer

8. Christopher Bell

9. AJ Allmendinger

10. Kevin Harvick

11. Chase Elliott

12. Harrison Burton

13. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

14. Daniel Suarez

15. Martin Truex Jr.

16. Michael McDowell

17. Ryan Blaney

18. Bubba Wallace

19. Justin Haley

20. Ryan Preece

21. Tyler Reddick

22. Chase Briscoe

23. Denny Hamlin

Sean Gardner/Getty Images

Preview: Top 10 Movies of 2022

 I haven't done this feature on the blog in a few years, but recently a friend at work got me back into using Letterboxd on a regular basis.  This allowed me to move all my IMDb ratings over to the Letterboxd app, which gave me an interesting review of all 900+ movies that I've rated on the platform.

With how excited I was for Halloween Kills and Spider-Man: No Way Home in 2021, I figured I'd take a look ahead and see what movies I was most excited for in 2022.

And before we begin, all release dates are subject to change.

10. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (November 11)

I'm excited for the next installment in Black Panther, but it just doesn't get me as hyped knowing that Chadwick Boseman won't be under the cowl.  It's yet to be seen whether this movie even makes it's release date, as the production continues to struggle with injuries to, and anti-vax rhetoric by, star Letitia Write.

9. Thor: Love and Thunder (July 8)

Thor hasn't always been my favorite Avenger over the years, but the most recent character arcs throughout Infinity War and Endgame were fantastic.  While Chris Hemsworth won't be the one wielding Mjilnor, it will be cool to see Natalie Portman return to the franchise.  And with Taika Waititi in the director's chair once again, I'm sure this movie will be quite enjoyable.

8. Scream (January 14)

I only watched the Scream movies for the first time a few years ago, so I'm not as attached to this franchise as I am to the other slashers.  I was only three when the first movie came out, so by the time I was old enough to watch these types of movies, Michael, Freddy and Jason were all over AMC's FearFest and Ghostface was nowhere to be found.  I'm still pretty excited to see where they take the franchise in this fifth installment.

7. Morbius (April 1)

The extended Sony Spider-Verse has been pretty good, with two fun Venom movies already released.  I've liked Jared Leto as an actor since seeing him in Fight Club, so I'm very excited to see what he can do as Dr. Michael Morbius.  All the rumors circulating that this could be part of a Venom/Morbius/Amazing Spider-Man universe only makes me more excited.

6. Lightyear (June 17)

A movie about the "actual" space cadet that inspired the toy voiced by Tim Allen in the Toy Story movies.  Enough said.

5. Uncharted (February 18)

I've only played through the first game on PS4, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and will eventually get around the other games in the series.  The trailer for this looked fantastic, and it seems they may have nailed the aesthetic of the games.  Plus Tom Holland has quickly become such a bankable star, teaming him up with Mark Wahlberg seems like a good play here.

4. The Black Phone (June 24)

Everything about this movie looks awesome.  Based on a short story by Joe Hill, this brings Ethan Hawke back into a movie with some serious Sinister energy.  Add to that a mask that was sculped by Tom Savini's workshop, and this could be a low-key horror gem.  Unfortunately the movie was already bumped back nearly six months from its original January release date.

3. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (May 6)

Doctor Strange really messed things up in Spider-Man: No Way Home, and this movie is going to see him trying to deal with the fallout.  This movie is rumored to tie together some of the Disney+ shows, along with some other Marvel properties now under Disney's large umbrella.  I'm looking forward to seeing this one, especially as it may have a much darker tone to it.

2. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse - Part One (October 7)

The first movie in this series was a shocking hit, and with the help of a soundtrack featuring Post Malone, the movie became a global sensation.  This sequel looks to continue on that, and features a neat animation style along with giving Oscar Isaac a bigger chance to shine as Spider-Man 2099 (which is one of my favorite iterations of the character).

1. Halloween Ends (October 14)

Here's the deal, I didn't love Halloween Kills.  I enjoyed it, as I do with all the movies in the Halloween franchise (outside of Resurrection), but I just don't know what they're going for.  David Gordon Green and Danny McBride went to great lengths to humanize Michael to make him a man instead of an unstoppable killing machine in Halloween, only to turn around and make him an unstoppable killing machine in Kills.  I'm curious to see where they take the franchise, and I'll definitely be there opening night.