Who Won The Nascar Race Today: Kyle Busch Crashes Out at Atlanta After Contact with Noah Gragson
The question "who won the nascar race today" circulated as Kyle Busch's race ended prematurely at the Autotrader 400 in Atlanta on Feb. 22. The incident matters because it removed a veteran contender from contention on lap 125 and produced the race's fourth caution.
Who Won The Nascar Race Today — Development details
Kyle Busch's day concluded on lap 125 of the NASCAR Cup Series Autotrader 400 when contact with Noah Gragson sent Busch into the inside wall and out of the race. Busch had just moved up in front of Gragson when his No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet got loose exiting Turn 2 and slid up to the top of the track. While attempting to regain control, Busch said Gragson gave a hard push that turned his car back toward the inside wall, an interaction that triggered the fourth caution of the event.
The incident ended Busch's run in the Atlanta race and prevented him from pressing for a victory; he had been seeking his first Cup Series win since June 4, 2023. Earlier in the season Busch started on the pole at the Daytona 500 and finished 15th on Feb. 17. He did capture a Craftsman Truck Series win at Atlanta the day before the Cup race, on Feb. 21.
Context and escalation
The contact unfolded after Busch moved ahead of Gragson on track and then got loose coming out of Turn 2. Busch attempted to straighten the No. 8 Chevrolet, but described Gragson's subsequent action as a forceful push rather than a cautious nudge; he said Gragson "never checked up" and "just rammed me as hard as he could" to regain momentum. A FOX Sports reporter recorded Busch's reaction trackside following the crash.
The crash was significant in the context of Busch's recent results: his last Cup victory came at World Wide Technology Raceway more than 90 Cup races ago, and the Atlanta incident halted another opportunity to close that drought. The sequence of loose handling, contact and impact with the inside wall illustrates how a brief loss of control in traffic can quickly escalate into a race-ending event.
Immediate impact
The collision eliminated Busch from the Autotrader 400 and produced the race's fourth caution, interrupting race flow and altering pit strategies for competitors still on track. For Busch and his Richard Childress Racing team, the immediate consequence was a forced retirement from the event on lap 125 rather than a chance to compete for stage points or the win.
Gragson remained a central figure in post-incident discussion because his push directly preceded Busch's loss of control; that interaction will shape how crews and officials review competitive contact and responses on similar restarts or pack racing segments. From a standings and momentum perspective, the crash removed a driver who had been challenging near the front earlier in the season and who had recently returned to Victory Lane in the Truck Series at the same venue.
Forward outlook
Teams will turn quickly to repairs and adjustments ahead of the next scheduled events on the Cup Series calendar. NASCAR officials and teams routinely review on-track contact after cautions that end a contender's day; any formal actions or penalties would follow established post-race procedures and communications. Busch's team will also assess the damage to the No. 8 Chevrolet and prepare for the next race weekend, with the immediate milestone of post-event technical checks and parts replacement the practical next steps.
What makes this notable is how a single in-race interaction—one driver getting loose and another pushing aggressively—can swing not only a driver's result but also the strategic complexion of a race through cautions and track position changes. The question of who won the nascar race today will be answered in the final standings, but for Busch and his crew the immediate focus is recovery and preparation for the next opportunity to compete.
