Talk about a wild night at EchoPark Speedway! Just as Stage 2 kicked off in the Quaker State 400 on Saturday, June 28, 2025, Denny Hamlin sparked absolute mayhem at Atlanta’s 1.54-mile tri-oval.

Right after the green flag dropped, Hamlin’s No. 11 Toyota clipped John Hunter Nemechek’s ride, both running in the top 10, and unleashed a massive pileup that swallowed up a whopping 23 cars. The crash, one of the biggest in recent memory, sent shockwaves through the field and the inaugural $1 million NASCAR In-Season Challenge, with serious playoff implications on the line.

NASCAR threw the red flag on Lap 70 of 260, halting the action to tow mangled cars and clear debris from the track. Hamlin, the No. 1 seed in the Challenge, was hauled to the garage with major damage. Pole-sitter Joey Logano, whose No. 22 Ford took a brutal hit, has been declared out of the race.

Denny Hamlin’s radio chatter told the story, “I’m beached. I’m sure I have everything bent,” he groaned, sounding gutted. With nearly half the 40-car field caught in the chaos, the wreck’s ripple effect could shake up the first round of the Challenge and the points race.

Fans on X were lamenting their In-Season Challenge bracket going up in flames too, as top-seeded Denny Hamlin is out of the race while his matchup, 36th-seeded Ty Dillon, currently runs in the top-15! Chase Elliott remains one of the strongest playoff contenders still out on the field, and this is undoubtedly his best shot at clinching a win with a host of top drivers having to park their cars.

Atlanta’s high banks are known for tight, unpredictable racing, and this “Big One” proved it. As cleanup crews hustle, fans are left wondering who’ll emerge from this big NASCAR crash to chase the $11,055,250 purse and keep their playoff dreams alive.

Tyler Reddick steals stage 2 in a photo finish

After the wreck that opened up stage 2 of the Quaker State 400, it turned into a nail-biter, with Tyler Reddick and Chase Elliott duking it out right to the line for the 100-lap segment. NASCAR went to video review to settle the score, and Reddick edged Elliott by a razor-thin 0.001 seconds to claim his first playoff point of 2025. Chris Buescher, Alex Bowman, Erik Jones, Ty Dillon, Shane van Gisbergen, John Hunter Nemechek, Zane Smith, and Brad Keselowski rounded out the top 10, keeping the action hot after the massive Lap 70 wreck. Just look at some of the names on this list! SVG in a top-10 spot on a superspeedway with rookie Zane Smith!

And the stage wasn’t without more drama. On Lap 110, Riley Herbst lost control in the top five, slapping the wall and collecting Todd Gilliland, triggering another caution. Herbst’s car needs serious repairs, while Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who banged into Erik Jones on Lap 104, limped in for a toe-link fix. Carson Hocevar snuck back onto the lead lap during the stoppage. Earlier, Alex Bowman and Reddick traded the lead like prizefighters, with Bowman briefly taking over on Lap 120.

By Lap 153, Elliott surged ahead through Turns 3 and 4, only for Reddick to claw back. With less than 20 laps to go, Bowman, Elliott, and Buescher jockeyed up front, with Jones pushing hard behind them. Stage 2 wrapped on Lap 160, and Reddick’s photo-finish win gave 23XI Racing a much-needed boost.

With Atlanta’s high-speed chaos in full swing, Elliott and Bowman are still in the hunt, but the field’s wide open as the race heads toward its final 100 laps. Who’s got the guts to navigate the draft and avoid another big NASCAR crash to claim the checkered flag? Let us know in the comments!