The 2023 Ambetter Health 400 was a NASCAR Cup Series race that was held on March 19, 2023, at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia. Contested over 260 laps on the 1.54-mile-long (2.48 km) asphalt quad-oval intermediate speedway (with superspeedway rules), it was the fifth race of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season.
Report
Background
Atlanta Motor Speedway (formerly Atlanta International Raceway) is a 1.54-mile race track in Hampton, Georgia, United States, 20 miles (32 km) south of Atlanta. It has annually hosted NASCAR Cup Series stock car races since its inauguration in 1960.
The venue was bought by Speedway Motorsports in 1990. In 1994, 46 condominiums were built over the northeastern side of the track. In 1997, to standardize the track with Speedway Motorsports' other two intermediate ovals, the entire track was almost completely rebuilt. The frontstretch and backstretch were swapped, and the configuration of the track was changed from oval to quad-oval, with a new official length of where before it was . The project made the track one of the fastest on the NASCAR circuit. In July 2021 NASCAR announced that the track would be reprofiled for the 2022 season to have 28 degrees of banking and would be narrowed from 55 to 40 feet which the track claims will turn racing at the track similar to restrictor plate superspeedways. Despite the reprofiling being criticized by drivers, construction began in August 2021 and wrapped up in December 2021. The track has seating capacity of 71,000 to 125,000 people depending on the tracks configuration.
Entry list (R) denotes rookie driver. (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
Driver Team Manufacturer 1 Ross Chastain Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet 2 Austin Cindric Team Penske Ford 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 6 Brad Keselowski RFK Racing Ford 7 Corey LaJoie Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 8 Kyle Busch Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 9 Josh Berry (i) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 14 Chase Briscoe Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 15 J. J. Yeley Rick Ware Racing Ford 16 A. J. Allmendinger Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 17 Chris Buescher RFK Racing Ford 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 20 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 21 Harrison Burton Wood Brothers Racing Ford 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 23 Bubba Wallace 23XI Racing Toyota 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 31 Justin Haley Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford 38 Todd Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 41 Ryan Preece Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 42 Noah Gragson (R) Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet 43 Erik Jones Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet 45 Tyler Reddick 23XI Racing Toyota 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 48 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 51 Cody Ware Rick Ware Racing Ford 54 Ty Gibbs (R) Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 77 Ty Dillon Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 78 B. J. McLeod Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet 99 Daniel Suárez Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet Official entry list
Qualifying Joey Logano scored the pole for the race with a time of 31.256 and a speed of .
Qualifying results Pos Driver Team Manufacturer 1 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 31.348 31.256 2 2 Austin Cindric Team Penske Ford 31.527 31.262 3 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 31.276 31.284 4 6 Brad Keselowski RFK Racing Ford 31.369 31.323 5 10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 31.353 31.324 6 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 31.528 31.363 7 17 Chris Buescher RFK Racing Ford 31.386 31.367 8 14 Chase Briscoe Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 31.403 31.396 9 5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 31.506 31.462 10 20 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 31.497 0.000 11 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 31.544 — 12 34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford 31.545 — 13 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 31.548 — 14 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 31.554 — 15 48 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 31.554 — 16 45 Tyler Reddick 23XI Racing Toyota 31.574 — 17 8 Kyle Busch Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 31.583 — 18 1 Ross Chastain Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet 31.597 — 19 23 Bubba Wallace 23XI Racing Toyota 31.636 — 20 31 Justin Haley Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 31.642 — 21 9 Josh Berry (i) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 31.662 — 22 42 Noah Gragson (R) Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet 31.680 — 23 38 Todd Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 31.696 — 24 41 Ryan Preece Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 31.801 — 25 99 Daniel Suárez Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet 31.835 — 26 77 Ty Dillon Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 31.835 — 27 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 31.837 — 28 43 Erik Jones Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet 31.853 — 29 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 31.859 — 30 16 A. J. Allmendinger Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 31.939 — 31 7 Corey LaJoie Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 31.945 — 32 51 Cody Ware Rick Ware Racing Ford 32.064 — 33 21 Harrison Burton Wood Brothers Racing Ford 32.540 — 34 15 J. J. Yeley (i) Rick Ware Racing Ford 32.559 — 35 54 Ty Gibbs (R) Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 34.582 — 36 78 B. J. McLeod Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet 0.000 — Official qualifying results
Race
Race results
Stage Results
Stage One Laps: 60
Pos Driver Team Manufacturer Points1 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 102 2 Austin Cindric Team Penske Ford 93 6 Brad Keselowski RFK Racing Ford 84 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 75 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 66 20 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 57 8 Kyle Busch Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 48 17 Chris Buescher RFK Racing Ford 39 99 Daniel Suárez Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet 210 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 1Official stage one results
Stage Two Laps: 100
Pos Driver Team Manufacturer Points1 2 Austin Cindric Team Penske Ford 102 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 93 48 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 84 45 Tyler Reddick 23XI Racing Toyota 75 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 66 17 Chris Buescher RFK Racing Ford 57 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 48 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 39 6 Brad Keselowski RFK Racing Ford 210 7 Corey LaJoie Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 1Official stage two results
Final Stage Results
Stage Three Laps: 100
Pos Grid Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Points1 1 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 260 592 4 6 Brad Keselowski RFK Racing Ford 260 453 10 20 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 260 394 31 7 Corey LaJoie Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 260 345 16 45 Tyler Reddick 23XI Racing Toyota 260 396 14 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 260 407 3 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 260 378 28 43 Erik Jones Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet 260 299 35 54 Ty Gibbs (R) Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 260 2810 17 8 Kyle Busch Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 260 3111 2 2 Austin Cindric Team Penske Ford 260 4512 22 42 Noah Gragson (R) Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet 260 2513 18 1 Ross Chastain Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet 260 2414 15 48 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 260 3115 23 38 Todd Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 260 2216 30 16 A. J. Allmendinger Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 260 2117 27 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 260 2018 21 9 Josh Berry (i) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 260 019 29 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 260 2220 13 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 260 1721 12 34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford 260 1622 20 31 Justin Haley Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 260 1523 26 77 Ty Dillon Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 260 1424 8 14 Chase Briscoe Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 259 1325 32 51 Cody Ware Rick Ware Racing Ford 258 1226 34 15 J. J. Yeley (i) Rick Ware Racing Ford 258 027 19 23 Bubba Wallace 23XI Racing Toyota 255 1028 24 41 Ryan Preece Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 242 929 25 99 Daniel Suárez Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet 213 1030 5 10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 208 731 9 5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 208 632 11 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 192 1133 6 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 190 434 33 21 Harrison Burton Wood Brothers Racing Ford 190 335 7 17 Chris Buescher RFK Racing Ford 189 1036 36 78 B. J. McLeod Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet 189 1Official race results
Race statistics Lead changes: 20 among 13 different drivers Cautions/Laps: 5 for 34 laps Red flags: 0 Time of race: 2 hours, 53 minutes and 5 seconds Average speed:
Media
Television Fox Sports was carried by Fox in the United States. Mike Joy, Clint Bowyer, and three-time Atlanta winner, three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing Tony Stewart called the race from the broadcast booth. Jamie Little and Regan Smith handled pit road for the television side, and Larry McReynolds provided insight from the Fox Sports studio in Charlotte.
FoxBooth announcersPit reportersIn-race analyst Lap-by-lap: Mike JoyColor-commentator: Clint BowyerColor-commentator: Tony Stewart Jamie LittleRegan Smith Larry McReynolds
Radio The race was broadcast on radio by the Performance Racing Network and simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Doug Rice and Mark Garrow called the race from the booth when the field raced down the front stretch. Rob Albright called the race from atop a billboard outside of turn 2 when the field raced through turns 1 and 2, and Pat Patterson called the race from a billboard outside of turn 3 when the field raced through turns 3 and 4. On pit road, PRN was manned by Brad Gillie, Doug Turnbull, and Wendy Venturini.
PRNBooth announcersTurn announcersPit reporters Lead announcer: Doug RiceAnnouncer: Mark Garrow Turns 1 & 2: Rob AlbrightTurns 3 & 4: Pat Patterson Brad GillieDoug TurnbullWendy Venturini
Standings after the race
Drivers' Championship standings Pos Driver Points 7 1 Joey Logano 177 1 2 Christopher Bell 176 (–1) 1 3 Ross Chastain 172 (–5) 4 Ryan Blaney 161 (–16) 4 5 Brad Keselowski 160 (–17) 5 6 Kevin Harvick 155 (–22) 2 7 Kyle Busch 153 (–24) 2 8 Martin Truex Jr. 145 (–32) 3 9 Denny Hamlin 140 (–37) 3 10 Daniel Suárez 129 (–48) 3 11 Austin Cindric 126 (–51) 1 12 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 124 (–53) 3 13 Chris Buescher 122 (–55) 1 14 Corey LaJoie 113 (–64) 2 15 Tyler Reddick 111 (–66) 3 16 Bubba Wallace 102 (–75)Official driver's standings
Manufacturers' Championship standings Pos Manufacturer Points 1 Chevrolet 193 2 Ford 173 (–20) 3 Toyota 166 (–27)
Note: Only the first 16 positions are included for the driver standings.
References