The Cup series found its way back to Hotlanta for the second race of the season, and it once again didn’t fail to deliver. Close pack racing mixed with strong and weak runs once again gave us a wire to wire event that hasn’t been a let down since the repave and reconfiguration. 

With that being said, let’s get into the winners & losers from another trip to the Peach State. 

Winner: 23XI Racing 

Now I know what you’re thinking, the real winner here is Tyler Reddick, right? 

And you’d be correct. But I can’t help but notice that it’s two weeks at the expense of Bubba Wallace. Wallace attempted to throw a late race block on a restart and went a bit too heavy to the right, sending himself out of line and backwards. Wallace once again benefitted from a top 10, but saw the W slip from his fingers. 

His teammate Reddick on the other hand, seems to be exercising his winless 2025 demons and has become the latest driver to win the first two races of the season. The win catapults 23XI into the spotlight, after their existence was put into question just months ago amid a nasty lawsuit with NASCAR brass. 

Reddick & Wallace now find themselves first and second in the Chase standings. If the 23 team can seal the deal and the 45 continues suit, this team could quickly find themselves as a new juggernaut alongside Hendrick and JGR. Only time will tell if Jordan’s winning DNA will continue to build inside of the team. 

Loser: Kyle Larson 

I’ve always thought the whole “greatest driver in the world” bit was stupid for any driver across all motorsports, but if that driver were to exist, it certainly would not be Kyle Larson. 

For as elite as Larson has proven he can in the past, the Hendrick driver equally has some of the dumbest lowlights from any driver in the field. The Elk Grove native’s most recent escapade was shooting down the track when he wasn’t clear and cleaning out himself and SVG in the process. 

Between this incident and his 2024 classic where he almost killed Ty Dillon at the Indy road course, Larson has this ability to become an absolute weapon on the track and it can only be chalked up to “oopsie”.

I’m not gonna make some moronic statement like Kyle Larson isn’t deserving of a Cup ride, but for the level of praise he gets, he’s capable of making the same mistakes 19-year-old rookie Connor Zilisch does all while looking even dumber. Only time will tell how many oopsies Larson will get out of his system before his inevitable first win of 2026.

Winner: Shane Van Gisbergen 

This was a certified Shane Van Rizzburger race through and through. The Kiwi kept the car clean during not one, but TWO grass spins and managed to bring his #97 Red Bull Chevrolet home in 6th. 

This guy isn’t just a road course ringer, he’s one of the most talented drivers in the world. I think winning his first race in a brand new car showed that, but many still need to be convinced. 

SVG already dominates any road course on the schedule as seen last year, and it’s only a matter of time before he figures out ovals like he did this past weekend. 

Once the flood gates open for the 97, he will be a regular Chase competitor every year. I’m sure he wishes he tried this Cup thing a bit earlier, as he’s approaching 40 faster than any of us realize. I could see SVG racing well into that decade, anyway. 

Loser: Carson Hocevar 

Surprisingly a cold take after the human wrecking ball made another appearance last night, but I have to make my statement on it anyway. 

Yes, Hocevar’s attitude is great for the sport. His youthful energy has helped it grow in new ways the last two or so seasons. However he simply gets too carried away in some moments. 

The kid forces runs if he sees them, and it not only killed Christopher Bell’s run but also killed a chance at a better finish for Wallace (even if Wallace’s block attempt to stay in the lead beforehand was haphazard). 

Many fans tell me “Boy you would’ve loathed Earnhardt”, and as much as I respect and admire the Intimidator, the thing about his driving that bugs me the most is that he didn’t need to be so aggressive. 

I never enjoyed how his competitors laid down and just accepted that he would put them into the wall, and I equally don’t enjoy Hocevar’s similar method for getting in front. 

Earnhardt had the ability to not need friends on the racetrack, but Hocevar might not be as lucky. Until he mellows out a bit, I feel his chances at a first win will continue to slip out of his fingers. 

The Chase has already shown itself to have a welcome reintroduction to the sport. Tyler Reddick does have a 40 point cushion, however his teammate Wallace holds down second place with back to back weeks winning a stage. COTA is sure to throw a wrench in the standings, but i’ll be curious to see how it changes once the dust settles in Austin. 

The DuraMax Grand Prix from COTA drops the green flag at 12:30 PM PST.