NASCAR’s manufacturer wars have always been a slugfest, and the 2025 Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway was no exception. It was a throwback to the glory days of 2013 when Ford dominated restrictor-plate tracks. But then came Chevrolet, flexing its teamwork muscle to snatch the crown. Fast forward to today, and it’s déjà vu—with a twist.

During Saturday’s qualifying, Ford showcased sheer dominance. Ryan Blaney secured the pole, and the manufacturer claimed nine of the top 10 starting spots. They rolled in hot. Meanwhile, Chevy had the numbers after the Daytona 500, but Toyota played the long game—and laughed last.

Christopher Bell was determined to break Ford’s stronghold. What could have been Ford’s best start to the season ended with only one driver in the top five—fourth-place Ryan Blaney. Bell foreshadowed this in the pre-race presser when asked by Frontstretch whether Toyota struggles on superspeedways or if their season truly begins in Atlanta. His response? “I think that is something we need to improve on… the majority of drivers would say the real season starts in Atlanta.” And oh boy, did the No. 20 prove that.

But Kevin Harvick wasn’t convinced. Ford’s early dominance had him sold—understandable, given his long history with them. “The Fords are in a better spot—handling, pushing, taking a push. Superspeedway magic’s just easier for ‘em,” Harvick noted.

And, Joey Logano did back that up, racking up stage points and eyeing the win. But then, the wheels metaphorically—and literally—fell off. “When they got buried in the pack, they pushed worse in traffic,” Harvick joked. “Harder to claw back, and we never saw Joey again.” Until the last-lap wreck, Ford’s speed was gold.

Austin Cindric also echoed his disappointment in his post-race interview when he said, “As a team, as Fords, we had the best cars here this weekend. We put ourselves in position to win the race, got used up and into the fence, and didn’t win. It’s a shame. Two weeks in a row, I feel like we had the car to beat and haven’t done it. One way or another, it is disappointing.”

Chevy, on the other hand, turned chaos into an internal war. As Harvick continued breaking down the Ambetter Health 400 on Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour with Mamba Smith. He stated, “The Chevrolets didn’t do a good job. Hocevar had everybody riled up.” And, we must agree although Hocevar riled up the entire field and made some foes, it was his career-best NASCAR Cup finish. Sliding through everyone and finishing behind Bell was just what he needed in his 2nd full-time year. “It’s very rare you get to look back at a race and not see a ton of things you could do differently in terms of putting yourself in a spot to win a race,” Hocevar said. “It was a super smooth race for us as a team.”

And, we think Harvick may have a point here, but Kyle Larson still put on a show. The No. 5 driver took the white flag before the eventual race winner—only to lose it in the last-lap frenzy.

Larson post-race shared his regret over how he handled that final lap: “I think if I didn’t let the No. 20 (Christopher Bell) get to my outside, I would have had an opportunity. But he would probably split to my inside into (Turn) 1 and clear me. If I don’t hesitate, the wreck probably doesn’t happen. So yeah, I don’t know. I haven’t seen a replay yet. But yeah, bummer not to get a win.”

Coming to the Toyota, Harvick was in awe of Joe Gibbs Racing’s playbook. He said, addressing what worked for Bell and team, “A distinct strategy—slower cars, more drag, more downforce to drive better.” And, the No. 20 driver didn’t just win—he danced through the madness. But as 2025 rolls on, Ford must find a way to finish what it starts—or risk falling behind.

Ford’s Heartbreak—Who’s to Blame?

Heading into the race, Ryan Blaney led the charge. The reigning Cup Series champ snagged his first-ever Atlanta pole with a blistering 179.371 mph lap. Penske’s Joey Logano also started fourth, Josh Berry nabbed third, and Austin Cindric locked down second—turning the front row into a Penske party. And, Blaney’s edge over Cindric was a razor-thin 0.002 seconds. Meanwhile, Chevy’s lone top-10 qualifier was Kyle Busch in sixth for Richard Childress Racing, and Toyota’s best starter was Bubba Wallace in 14th.

Despite Ford’s early dominance, they couldn’t seal the deal. Post-race Blaney, being the manufacturer’s top performer, credited his No. 12 crew for the recovery. “It was a good comeback. I just fell back from getting spun there, but I was able to pick my way through and scrounge a good finish out of it. So not a bad recovery. I wasn’t slowing.”

Joey Logano also admitted it was a grind all day. “We had a really fast car, and when we were up front, we could control it really well. When we had a couple of Fords up front, it was domination. But once I got in the back, I didn’t handle well enough. Every time I got a gap, it just wasn’t enough to get back up there. The car was fast—we just needed more steering.”

And this is only the second race of the season. Ford has time to regroup, but with the Next Gen car and superspeedway unpredictability, they’ll need to capitalize on their strengths before it’s too late.

Stay tuned—this manufacturer battle is just heating up.