Following the chaos of the 23-car wreck in Atlanta on Saturday, the race blew wide open, and it was almost certain that NASCAR would witness its 12th race winner of the 2025 season. Tyler Reddick and Chase Elliott emerged as potential contenders, and the end of Stage 2 further cemented their challenge for a bid to secure a playoff berth.
With rain bringing out the red flags in Stage 1, the drivers returned to racing in Stage 2, with the first race of the in-season tournament in full flow. At this point, John Hunter Nemechek was running inside the top ten when Denny Hamlin bumped into him, causing nearly half the field to end up in a wreck.
Tyler Reddick Edges Out Chase Elliott by the Smallest of Margins in Stage 2
With nine race winners of 2025 out of contention following the “Big One,” the ones running in the middle suddenly found themselves as race leaders. Elliott had qualified for the race in P15, 0.305 seconds behind Joey Logano in pole position. Meanwhile, Reddick started the race further back in P23.
But with half the field wrecking, both drivers found themselves in prime position to fight not only for the stage win but also to take a run at winning the entire event. However, winning the stage remained the immediate goal.
And neither driver was going to sway away from it, which was evident with the way Stage 2 ended. On lap 153, Elliott took the lead away from Reddick and looked set to earn himself some valuable playoff points. However, with seven laps left in the stage, Reddick roared back to retake the lead, sparking a tense battle between the two drivers.
With the green and white flags waving, both drivers left Turn 4 side-by-side, seemingly crossing the finish line together, and Atlanta was witness to a stunning photo finish. And while this wasn’t a race-winning moment, it still mattered a lot.
It’s @TylerReddick … by 0.001 seconds to take Stage 2! 👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/cEqIHe3dtT
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 29, 2025
The scoring monitor initially recorded Reddick as the stage winner, but NASCAR then ruled that Elliott was ahead according to the high-speed camera. Upon further review, the race officials finally determined that Reddick was indeed ahead when crossing the line. The margin between the two drivers? It was 0.001 seconds.
Notably, the margin of victory tied NASCAR’s all-time record for the closest win (though this time it was only a stage finish). The last extremely close finish came at the 2024 AdventHealth 400, when Kyle Larson crossed the finish line ahead of Chris Buescher with a gap of just 0.001 seconds.
Nonetheless, while he couldn’t win Stage 2 of the race, Elliott showed up when it mattered most. Brad Keselowski held the lead as the race entered the final lap, but Elliott made sure to stick right behind him and make his move at the right time. Having slipstreamed enough, the Hendrick Motorsports driver made his move on the inside line of Keselowski, taking the lead and winning the race in front of his home crowd.
