NASCAR
Nick Sanchez Takes Maiden Xfinity Series Triumph in Wild Atlanta Race
HAMPTON, Ga. – From backwards through the grass to ending the night in victory lane, Nick Sanchez saw a roller-coaster of a race in Atlanta. Entering EchoPark Speedway 14th in points, the breakthrough win for Big Machine Racing’s No. 48 sends a dagger into the Playoff picture. The rookie will be in the championship battle this fall, with another berth claimed.
The craziness of this race was evident early on. Five-time Atlanta winner Austin Hill suffered a pinched fuel line within the first run, taking the No. 21 out of contention early. An hour-plus long lightning delay would then ensue, leading to a half-lap of racing before a major crash ended Stage 1 with Taylor Gray ahead.
With many quality drivers out of the race, JR Motorsports’ Connor Zilisch and Carson Kvapil led much of the next run. Pit strategy saw Brandon Jones inherit the lead late, before another yellow ended this stage prematurely. This stage also saw Sanchez take a spin through the frontstretch grass but continue onwards.
Despite some single-file riding in Stage 3, debris cautions kept the field bunched together and on each others’ doors. The final green flag flew with seven laps left, pitting damaged Nick Sanchez against an equally-wounded Jesse Love. The RCR No. 2 was briefly shoved out front, only for Sanchez to storm back by a lap later. A past Daytona Truck Series winner, Sanchez mastered the draft again for his first Xfinity triumph.
“I’m gonna be honest, this is just a reminder of my 2023 debut here in the Trucks at Atlanta,” said Sanchez. “I spun and I finished second. Now I spun and I won. Just a huge thanks to Scott Borchetta (team owner), Big Machine Racing, Patrick Donahue (crew chief), and everyone on this team. We’ve been so close the last couple of weeks. It’s every little thing that could go wrong and it’s a lot on my shoulders. To come back and get a win is just amazing.”
Behind Sanchez was fellow rookie Carson Kvapil, ahead of Sam Mayer, Connor Zilisch, and Taylor Gray. Jesse Love, Aric Almirola, Daniel Dye, Kyle Sieg, and Jeremy Clements rounded out the top-10. Hear from a few top finishers below.
Sanchez is the seventh different winner to secure a Playoff spot in 2025, scrambling the cut line battle in the process. Take a look at the update Xfinity Series postseason standings below, with nine regular season races remaining.
Xfinity Series competitors will be back on track Saturday from the Chicago Street Course. The third-annual Loop 110 will see all drivers thrown a curveball on NASCAR’s most unique track. The green flag will fly at 4:30 p.m. ET on The CW, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo Credits to Sean Gardner/Getty Images
