INCREDIBLE record-breaking NASCAR feat from Atlanta 400 revealed

Sunday's Ambetter Health 400 in Atlanta may go down as one of the most eventful of the year when the season wraps in Pheonix in November, and more details are still emerging from the action-packed event.

Christopher Bell came through from 32nd at the start to take an overtime win from the hands of Kyle Larson – who had earlier won his first ever stage at a drafting track – with the race ending under caution.

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Carson Hocevar took second in the race, but bolstered his reputation as one of the most polarizing drivers in the sport, with Kyle Busch ranting on his team radio: "I don't care if I wreck the whole [expletive] field, I'm over him. He's a [expletive] d-bag. I'm gonna wreck his ass."

Those comments from Busch came before Hocevar's most controversial moment of the race, pitting Ryan Blaney into a spin and out of contention for victory deep into the final stage, with the Team Penske driver saying on team radio: "I told you, Timmy. The 77. Absolute weapon. He's just a moron! He just runs right into the back of you."

Michael McDowell is the ONLY driver to not be involved in an incident during the first two races of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season. pic.twitter.com/bhv9P2fmkB

— NASCAR Insights (@NASCARInsights) February 24, 2025

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With those loud moments taking the headlines, a few things went under the radar on Sunday evening, like Michael McDowell's record-breaking feat.

McDowell suffered an issue with his power steering with about 25 laps left of Stage 1, leaving him nursing his Chevrolet round at the back of the pack, trying desperately to cling onto the lead lap for the end of the short first stage.

Having managed that, he dipped into pit road under caution and his team changed the power steering pump in the garage, ultimately losing him six laps on the lead cars.

However, with the pack all tucked up together in the drafting zone and the rest of his rivals staying on the lead lap (or immediately dropping back behind even him), McDowell earned the free pass on six cautions in the next 100 or so laps (4x collisions, 1x debris, 1x end of Stage 2) to get right back on terms with the pack.

Michael McDowell has received his 6th free pass today, putting him back on the lead lap.

This ties Jamie McMurray (Talladega - 2014) and Noah Gragson (Bristol Dirt - 2022) for the most free passes EVER received in a NASCAR Cup Series race. pic.twitter.com/5AxVZvFzED

— NASCAR Insights (@NASCARInsights) February 23, 2025

No driver has ever had more free passes in a race than McDowell's six, and his six consecutive is an outright Cup Series record – bringing him to an incredibly lucky 13th placed finish and 24 points on the weekend.

Oh, and while we're here? He's the only driver not to be involved in an incident in the first two races of the 2025 season. Talk about a charmed life.

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