One of the major talking points leading into Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series event at Atlanta Motor Speedway has been the difficulties and potential problems that could stem from the track’s unique pit road — which has an unorthodox entrance and two zones with two different speed limits.
Michael McDowell and William Byron have experienced those potential issues first-hand after an incident during green-flag pit stops in the second stage of Sunday’s Ambetter Health 400 — which has negatively impacted their races.
The incident happened when Michael McDowell, the polesitter for Sunday’s 400-mile contest, locked his brakes on the entrance to pit road, breaking sideways and into the right side of Daytona 500 champion William Byron, who was an innocent bystander of the incident.
Trouble for William Byron and Michael McDowell! https://t.co/1NLbQoXZQh pic.twitter.com/16HZTV6jyY
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) February 25, 2024
Neither driver sustained enough damage to eliminate them from Sunday’s Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta. Still, the damage and time lost will certainly impact the remaining portion of the race, with both drivers falling at least one lap down in the crash’s immediate aftermath.
