NASCAR Atlanta Update: Clint Bowyer Wrecks, Chase Hopes Take A Hit

NASCAR finally got the Atlanta Motor Speedway race restarted with 95 laps to go, as the rain cleared out for the moment.

Matt Kenseth retained the lead on the restart, and Jimmie Johnson – who was nearly lapped earlier in the race – passed Carl Edwards for second.

Just as Kenseth, Johnson and Edwards were about to have a three-way battle for the lead, Clint Bowyer was hooked into the wall by Juan Pablo Montoya with 85 laps to go.

Bowyer, who needed a good run to get into the top 10 in points for the Chase, gave Montoya a sarcastic clap and thumbs up as the No. 42 car drove by on the next lap.

That’s likely the end of Bowyer’s Chase chances. He could still win Richmond next week, but that might not be enough to get him a wild card berth ahead of Denny Hamlin, depending on how the points shake out after today.

Martin Truex Jr. is the leader with 78 to go after taking two tires on a pit stop during the Bowyer caution, with Edwards, Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Kenseth behind him. The restart is upcoming.