Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Mitchell Williams made it two strong results in as many rounds at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Wednesday night, taking the win in the ATC Cup Series Round 2 event in the #54 machine. Williams, who started from the second position, led 74 of 80 laps in a race that featured three lead changes and ran caution-free from green to checkered. Eldon Stewart, who had claimed the pole in the #1 car, held the top spot early and logged 2 laps of his own at the front, while #25 Bryce Shoemaker added 4 laps of leadership to his account before Williams ultimately sealed the result. Stewart would have to settle for second at the flag, with #62 Riley Bennett rounding out the podium after advancing three spots from her sixth-place starting position.

The story of the night beyond the front row belonged to #73 John Crosby and #79 Jordan Traas, whose charges through the 25-car field were nothing short of remarkable in a race with zero cautions. Crosby advanced 18 positions from his 23rd starting spot to finish fifth — earning him hard charger honors — while Traas was equally impressive, climbing 17 spots from P21 to cross the line fourth in the #79 entry. Both drivers posted those gains on pure pace alone, with no caution-period strategy to aid their progress. #29 Judson Curtis also deserves recognition, advancing 10 spots from 19th to finish ninth, and #2 Mikal Jones mirrored that effort, moving up 9 positions from 20th to 11th.

Not everyone had a night to celebrate. #88 Clayton Davis, who started seventh, tumbled 17 positions to finish 24th and collected 7 incidents along the way — the most costly of any competitor in the field. #77 Alex Forrest was similarly affected, falling 14 spots from his 11th starting position to finish last among classified runners in 25th, picking up 3 incidents in the process. #5 Garrett Stone also struggled with 4 incidents, slipping 8 spots to 21st. With 21 of 25 drivers completing the race cleanly, the incident damage was concentrated in a small group, but it proved decisive for their finishing positions.

In the standings, #84 Gio Turpin leads the ATC Cup Series points table with 54 points after his sixth-place run at Las Vegas, holding a 14-point advantage over both #52 Randy Coryer and Williams, who are locked at 40 points apiece heading into Round 3. Eldon Stewart sits fourth with 35 points, while Alex Forrest holds fifth at 34. Williams's win vaults him into contention, and the three-way logjam at the top of the table ensures the points fight remains wide open. For Stewart, a strong qualifying effort and 2 laps led at the front will provide little consolation — the gap he needs to close on Turpin is the story he'll carry into the next round.