SM Staff

With drivers out of cars due to injury, surgery and suspension, there have been plenty of subs needed in just the first two events of the year. At Atlanta Motor Speedway, four sub-drivers took to the track and in the end, it was a rookie topping them in performance.

With several of the sport’s biggest names starting from the back of the field, from missing qualifying sessions to missing driver introductions, here is what else was surprising and not surprising from the 56th annual Folds of Honor Quicktrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Dave Elenz would make the right adjustments throughout Saturday afternoon and with the pit crew handing Harvick the lead off of the final round of pit stops, Harvick was able to hold off Joey Logano for the win. While it marks Harvick's 45th career XFINITY Series victory, it marks the first as a crew chief for Elenz.

After falling back to eighth on a late race restart, Chase Elliott would fight back to score a fifth place finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Whether it's Jeff Gordon's farewell tour, domestic violence in the sport, driver safety, stolen race cars, or the qualifying fiascoes, the 2015 is quickly creating its own identity just two weeks into the eleven-month racing season.

This time, former champions could not get through inspection to qualify on Friday. Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, and Tony Stewart didn’t make the cut and will start far back in the field. Much of it had to do with camber, according to several sources. It seems that some teams were pushing the envelope.

There is a new poll making its way through the NASCAR garage and media center. The Century Poll, instituted by Mike Siberini, asks a question a month of the NASCAR community to get a pulse of what is really happening in the world of stock car racing.

As the cars and drivers head to Atlanta to test, just one more comment about Daytona wouldn’t hurt, would it? Never has there been a more insane Speedweeks. We saw a period when two stars, brothers to be honest, get eliminated from competition.

David Ragan will drive No. 18 for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) M&Ms Crispy Toyota. According to the team’s press release, Ragan “will pilot the No. 18 M&M's Crispy Toyota for at least the next several weeks.”

At the end of the season, James Hinchcliffe made the decision to switch from Andretti Autosport for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports for the upcoming season. During IndyCar Media Day, Hinchcliffe said it's been a "really great transition", happening without any issues. It also has him excited as he reunites Allen McDonald, whom he worked with Andretti Autosport.