Chaos. Utter chaos erupted during the NASCAR Cup Series race at EchoPark Speedway. While Stage 1 of the Quaker State 400 delivered a wild opener, something was unsettling in the air, and what unfolded after that was unprecedented. A jaw-dropping 23-car pile-up on the stage 2 restart brought out the red flag, leaving twisted metal and shattered playoff hopes strewn across Atlanta’s high banks.

As safety crews scrambled, an engine fell silent, fans ignited on social media, unleashing a storm of registration. With the race teetering on absurdity, the NASCAR fans’ messages roared louder than the engines, and let’s just say, they didn’t hold back.

Stage 2 turns savage

They say Atlanta delivers drama, and come Sunday, it over-delivered. It all started with a bold charge. Denny Hamlin got loose in turn 3 just 9 laps into stage 2, and what followed was a chain reaction so violent it looked more like a pinball machine than a stock car race. In seconds, Hamlin whacked his No. 11 car into the wall and then veered hard left into the pack.

He made contact with Todd Gilliland’s No. 38 car before shooting back up the road. And that is what left the pack with nowhere to go, and cars began piling into each other one by one. The red flag flew high. Engines shut off. Hope? Towed to the garage. Caught in the chaos? Practically every bracket favorite, Joey Logano, who had led an impressive 51 laps from pole, Austin Cindric, fresh off a Stage 1 win, Josh Berry, Ross Chastain, Daniel Suárez, and more.

Title contenders, playoff hopefuls, and unlucky bystanders were all taken out in one fell swoop. Joey Logano, now out of the In-Season challenge, didn’t hold back either: “Cars were sideways and you hit the brakes and everyone is just running into each other. Just a speedway wreck. Wrong place at the wrong time… the whole field wrecked, and I’m just in the soup there.” If that doesn’t sum it up, what does?

Corie LaJoie, making a part-time appearance for Rick Ware Racing, gave perhaps the quote of the day. “We see people pushing like dummies early. I came out of the smoke, and every corner on my Mustang was knocked off of it… I don’t know what we’re doing. We just started the second stage. I don’t know why we’re pushing like where damn bumper cars at Frankie’s Fun Park.” That, in itself, could be the tagline for this race. Meanwhile, in a rare twist of irony, Alex Bowman snuck through the carnage to win stage two, one of the few drivers not swallowed by the mess. And Shane van Gisbergen somehow was sitting pretty for once in the top 10 after the dust and smoke cleared on lap 77.

It was the kind of sequence that made even seasoned fans wince. Because when a quarter of the field is junk before the halfway point, it stops feeling like strategy and starts feeling like survival. And then, fans, they had plenty to share about what just went down.

Trending

1

Months After Fighting for Divorce, NASCAR Driver Reunites With Wife

2

Cup Star Reveals Shocking Details of JGR Breakup After Toyota & Sponsor’s Betrayal

3

Fans Stunned as Ex-NASCAR Owner Agrees to Buy Out Cup Team

4

54-YO Tony Stewart Avoids Tragedy in Shocking NHRA Blast With Wife Leah Pruett Trackside

5

Teresa Earnhardt Faces Huge Backlash After $2.23 Trillion Earnhardt Partner’s Exposè

Fans slam NASCAR after Atlanta turns into a wreck fest

Once the dust settled from Atlanta’s 23-car demolition derby, fans wasted no time letting their feelings be known. The top contenders like Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano, among others, were taken out before the halfway mark; the mood online turned from shocked to furious. Many fans were quick to point out, “Half the field is in garage making repairs. My mid-season bracket is f—-.” It must hurt seeing your favorite driver not make it past the finish line, while also losing out on their chance at $1 million after a first-week wildcard start to the bracket.

One fan even compared the pace to Daytona and Talladega, writing, “Atlanta makes the other superspeedways look like a funeral procession.” The criticism wasn’t just about who crashed; it was about how. Several fans questioned the sanity of the format, arguing that this wasn’t racing; it was a wrecking contest. “Instead of beating all the favorite drivers. Wrecked all the drivers @dennyhamlin,” wrote one fan, poking fun at Hamin’s ‘I beat your favorite driver’ moniker. Another fan suggested that the term “superspeedway” no longer fits, writing, “They need to replace the ‘super’ in ‘superspeedway’ with ‘joke.'” Well, with the kind of carnage we have seen with cars getting swallowed outside the draft and also wrecking all at once, we understand where the displeasure is coming from.

But the harsh line came with a nod to NASCAR’s past: “It’s not part of the game when you crash out half the cars. Fans don’t want to see that. Wake up Brian France.” Brian France was CEO of NASCAR in the last 200s and early 2010s, and while he did usher in the much-debated playoff format, the Gen-6 car launched under his leadership was a revelation for the sport, while not causing uncontrolled wrecks like this one. And frustration is less about one wreck and more about a brewing discontent, a feeling that chaotic pack racing and constant crashes are becoming the rule in the Next-Gen car, not the exception. And after Atlanta’s wreck-heavy showcase, that sentiment only intensifies.

It was clear. What was meant to be a high-stakes, mid-season showdown was more like a game of bumper cars. And for NASCAR fans hoping for a clear, competitive battle? This one stung more than just their brackets.