EchoPark Speedway hosted the second points race of the 2026 NASCAR season for the Cup Series on Sunday, with Atlanta delivering another great race. With a winner declared, we’re looking back at what happened during Sunday’s race for some of the top drivers.
Let’s dive into our winners and losers from the NASCAR race today at the EchoPark Speedway, with key takeaways and standouts from the Autotrader 400.
Winner: Tyler Reddick
Tyler Reddick is the first driver in NASCAR Cup Series history to win the first two races of the season. Even with front-end damage to the car, which the broadcast crew thought would give him no chance at winning, Reddick worked his way from the middle of the pack after sustaining damage in the Denny Hamlin crash to be in the top four when overtime began. Then, when Bubba Wallace moved up to try and get into the top lane, Reddick took advantage of his teammate’s mistake and sped his way off to victory. Heading into COTA, Reddick has a 40-point lead over his teammate in second place.
Related: NASCAR Results for O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Race at EchoPark Speedway
Loser: Kyle Larson
What was he thinking? Heading into the final turn of Stage 2, Kyle Larson came all the way down from the top with Shane van Gisbergen already there and ran right into him. The contact turned the No. 5 car around and sent it up slamming into the wall for race-ending damage. The wreck falls squarely on Larson’s shoulders and the move was completely reckless with no upside since he was too far back of Bubba Wallace and William Byron to win the stage. Trying to fight for a few points, Larson cost himself double-digit points. Credit to Larson, though, he at least took full accountability in the post-wreck interview…unlike someone.
Related: NASCAR Results Today for Cup Series, NASCAR Stage Results for Atlanta
Winner: Austin Cindric
Because qualifying got rained out on Saturday, Austin Cindric’s poor showing at Daytona caused him to start the NASCAR race today in 30th. Credit to Cindric and the No. 2 team, as he had the fastest car in Stage 1 and it showed as he worked his way to the front of the field. Fighting off Bubba Wallace and Kyle Larson at the finish, Cindric won Stage 1 and picked up 10 much-needed points. Given he got caught up in a late-race wreck that ruined his finishing position (26th), those 10 points were even more crucial today.
Related: NASCAR Truck Race Today, Stage Results and Fr8 Racing 208 Full Results
Loser: Kyle Busch
Kyle Busch was already going to be a loser on this list for the Autotrader 400 after wrecking out, finishing the day with single-digit points. He only added to that by suggesting in his interview outside the care center that Noah Gragson was to blame. Busch, who now hasn’t won a Cup Series race in 94 consecutive starts, tried to move up the racetrack quickly into a tight hole, and his nose lifted. That’s why, when Gragson made only light contact as the No. 8 came back down, Busch got loose and crashed. Gragson wasn’t to blame for what happened, but it seems like Busch wanted to point fingers.
Related: NASCAR Points Leaders after AutoTrader 400
Winner: Bubba Wallace
Make it consecutive races to start the season with a Stage 2 win for Bubba Wallace. Now, he wouldn’t have had it in the NASCAR race today in Atlanta if not for Kyle Larson’s wreck, but all that matters are the 10 points and a Cup Series-leading two stage wins through two races. Wallace secured 19 stage points on Sunday and has come out of these two superspeedways with two outstanding points days. The No. 23 seemed like a safe bet to make The Chase this season under the 16-driver format, and he’s an even stronger bet now.
Loser: Ty Gibbs
When’s the talent worthy of driving for a top-flight team going to show up for Ty Gibbs? After finishing 23rd in the Daytona 500, three spots worse than his starting position, the No. 54 again finished behind its starting spot when the race began. Early in Stage 2, Gibbs tried to cut down from the top to get ahead of Josh Berry — but he was never clear. Unfortunately, Gibbs not only took himself out but also collected Berry in the process. He’ll now head to COTA near the bottom of the standings.
Winner: 23XI Racing
Evidently beating NASCAR in court wasn’t enough for 23XI Racing. Michael Jordan got that familiar sweet taste of victory on the big stage and it’s carried over into the 2026 season. 23XI’s top two drivers lead the Cup Series in points right now and even Riley Herbst (23rd) is doing reasonably well. It feels like a lock at this point that 23XI will have Reddick and Wallace in The Chase. At this rate, the team might have a regular-season champion for the second time in three years.
Loser: Denny Hamlin
That’s twice now in February that Denny Hamlin has been near the front of the field in the final stage when he’s been involved in a wreck. After reporting that his No. 11 car was loose, Joey Logano’s No. 22 got tight, the wheel locked and he moved up into Hamlin’s lane. When Hamlin tried to correct, his car wiggled into the wall and then spun into the middle of the field. The one saving grace for Hamlin is that wrecks in the final laps allowed him to finish the day in 13th, but he’s still 27th in points right now.
Winner: Zane Smith
Zane Smith is off to the best start of his young Cup Series career. A week after he finished sixth in the Daytona 500, snagging 41 points and his first Cup stage win, Smith proved that was no fluke on Sunday. He avoided the major wrecks, allowing him to finish seven in the Autotrader 400. After recording five top-10 finishes in 2025 across 36 races, Smith already has two in the first two races of the season.
