Why did NASCAR end the Ambetter Health 400 under caution?

In a surprising turn of events, the Ambetter Health 400 finished under caution which led to a confusing conclusion for NASCAR fans.

Last Sunday, NASCAR made the bold decision to let the Daytona 500 continue to the finish despite a crash on the last lap. It was a surprising call, especially since the sanctioning body typically prefers to wave the yellow flag and end the race under caution in such situations, but one that most understood if it meant a competitive finish.

Thus, it’s hard to blame anyone for being confused when a similar scenario occurred a week later at Atlanta Motor Speedway but NASCAR reversed course and ended the Ambetter Health 400 under caution.

The Ambetter Health 400 seemed destined to have a three-wide photo finish for the second year in a row. Kyle Larson led the first lap of overtime before Christopher Bell caught him at the white flag. The two ran side by side for much of the last lap until Carson Hocevar forced an opening between them as they entered Turn 3.

While the leaders were midway through the banking, Josh Berry crashed on the backstretch. In a flip from Daytona, NASCAR ordered for a caution. Bell narrowly held the lead when the running order was frozen, securing him his tenth career Cup Series win.

Fans were perplexed given what happened the week prior, and one does not have to go that far back for inconsistency either. Saturday’s Xfinity Series race at Atlanta saw a similar crash on the final lap, but the green flag remained out as Austin Hill pulled away for the win. With this sample size, it seemed like NASCAR had a precedent that would be enforced the rest of the way.

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The following morning, however, NASCAR warned during the pre-Cup race meeting that such a call would not be made going forwards due to the dangers it presents.

“I wasn’t going to start a burnout until they told me for sure that I won,” said Bell. “I felt like I had it because I was gauging off the guys besides me when I saw the yellow flag. For the last lap or so, I kept seeing smoke in my rear-view mirror, and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, please don’t crash, please don’t crash.’ This place is just bonkers. Every time we come here, it gets wilder and wilder, and I never in my wildest dreams would have thought I would have won a superspeedway race.”

Hocevar’s driving style under fire

Had NASCAR let the race stay green, there was a good chance that Hocevar would be celebrating his maiden Cup Series victory. It likely would have been popular among fans, and even more due to the three-abreast finish, given he is quite liked for his affable personality and live streaming off the track.

It also would have meant a bunch of drivers waiting outside Victory Lane to have a long conversation with him.

One of the youngest drivers on the Cup Series grid, Hocevar has a reputation of being fast yet aggressive. While this makes him competitive for someone in mid-tier equipment, it’s garnered him his share of displeased peers. At a superspeedway like Atlanta, where crashes are more susceptible to happening and any mistake could trigger an incident, he made very few friends.

Hocevar collided with Ryan Blaney and caused him to spin, to which Blaney called him “just a moron.” Kyle Busch, who has notably mellowed in recent years after being hotheaded for much of his career, said Hocevar was a “douchebag” and threatened to “wreck his ass” after being clipped at the end of Stage 1.

Even Ross Chastain, who ironically has a similar reputation to Hocevar’s, went to speak with him after the race. Hocevar was otherwise apologetic for his conduct, also saying sorry to Larson for hitting him in the run to the finish before the Ambetter Health 400 ended under caution.

“There’s some stuff I got to learn and clean up a little bit, but I feel like we put ourselves in the perfect opportunity to try and win a race. I’ve never had that opportunity really before, especially on a superspeedway,” Hocevar explained.

NASCAR 2025 Ambetter Health 400 – Results