Reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano dominated Sunday’s Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway from the pole for his first win of 2023, but he needed a last-lap pass to secure it.
Incidentally, said overtake came on his former Penske team-mate Brad Keselowski after receiving help from Penske’s Ryan Blaney on the inside line.
“I’ve got great team-mates and I wanted to stick with them,” said Logano. “There were plenty of times I could have moved up, but I didn’t want to leave my team-mates down there. I wanted them behind me. I knew how fast their cars were. If I could pick one, that’s the one I want, so I was able to try to keep them with me. I thought with two to go, the outside lane got three cars, four cars clear and I was like, ‘I don’t know if I’m gonna make it here,’ but I got a good push, enough to get to the outside of the #6 and that was the big difference.”
Keselowski finished second in a heartbreaking day for his RFK Racing team. Besides coming up just shy, team-mate Chris Buescher had crashed out with B.J. McLeod, Harrison Burton, and Kevin Harvick in the first and largest wreck of the day on lap 189 when Harvick had gotten loose while leading and drafting with Ross Chastain.
Despite the disappointing end, it was still a strong day for RFK as they continue to see improving results since Keselowski’s arrival as co-owner in 2022.
“The bottom row came with a huge run,” Keselowski commented. “I don’t know how and I thought I had it blocked and Joey just kept shaking and his car didn’t stall out. I couldn’t get the push down the back. I thought, ‘I’ll just get a push down the back,’ and the #20 car (Christopher Bell) just hauled down there.
“We were right there. I’m glad a Ford won. It was a heck of a battle. The coolest thing about this is two veterans showed that you can run a race here side-by-side bump drafting and not wreck the field. It can happen if you race respectfully and I thought everybody did a great job. We were right there. I’m proud of my team and the effort, just not much we could do there.
“It’s night and day from where we were a year ago, 100 percent. You just keep running like this with good finishes and the wins will come.”
Erik Jones finished eighth after a dramatic run in which he passed nine cars on the final lap, while Ty Gibbs placed a spot behind him for the first top ten of his Cup rookie season and second overall.
Race results
| Finish | Start | Number | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Status |
| 1 | 1 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 260 | Running |
| 2 | 4 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing | Ford | 260 | Running |
| 3 | 10 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 260 | Running |
| 4 | 31 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 260 | Running |
| 5 | 16 | 45 | Tyler Reddick | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 260 | Running |
| 6 | 14 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 260 | Running |
| 7 | 3 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 260 | Running |
| 8 | 28 | 43 | Erik Jones | Legacy Motor Club | Chevrolet | 260 | Running |
| 9 | 35 | 54 | Ty Gibbs | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 260 | Running |
| 10 | 17 | 8 | Kyle Busch | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 260 | Running |
| 11 | 2 | 2 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 260 | Running |
| 12 | 22 | 42 | Noah Gragson | Legacy Motor Club | Chevrolet | 260 | Running |
| 13 | 18 | 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet | 260 | Running |
| 14 | 15 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 260 | Running |
| 15 | 23 | 38 | Todd Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 260 | Running |
| 16 | 30 | 16 | A.J. Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 260 | Running |
| 17 | 27 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 260 | Running |
| 18 | 21 | 9 | Josh Berry* | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 260 | Running |
| 19 | 29 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 260 | Running |
| 20 | 13 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 260 | Running |
| 21 | 12 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 260 | Running |
| 22 | 20 | 31 | Justin Haley | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 260 | Running |
| 23 | 26 | 77 | Ty Dillon | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 260 | Running |
| 24 | 8 | 14 | Chase Briscoe | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 259 | Running |
| 25 | 32 | 51 | Cody Ware | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 258 | Running |
| 26 | 34 | 15 | J.J. Yeley* | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 258 | Running |
| 27 | 19 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 255 | Running |
| 28 | 24 | 41 | Ryan Preece | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 244 | Running |
| 29 | 25 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet | 213 | DVP |
| 30 | 5 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 208 | Accident |
| 31 | 9 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 208 | Accident |
| 32 | 11 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 192 | Accident |
| 33 | 6 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 190 | Accident |
| 34 | 33 | 21 | Harrison Burton | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 190 | DVP |
| 35 | 7 | 17 | Chris Buescher | RFK Racing | Ford | 189 | Accident |
| 36 | 36 | 78 | B.J. McLeod | Live Fast Motorsports | Chevrolet | 189 | Accident |
* – Ineligible for points