Top Photo for Headline Surfer / Credit: HAMPTON, GEORGIA - JULY 10: Chase Elliott, driver of the #9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, leads the field to the green flag to start the NASCAR Cup Series Quaker State 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on July 10, 2022, in Hampton, Georgia. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
Left Photo for Headline Surfer / Credit: HAMPTON, GEORGIA - JULY 10: Chase Elliott, takes the checkered flag ahead of Ross Chastain, driver of the #1 Jockey Chevrolet, under caution to win the NASCAR Cup Series Quaker State 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
By HENRY FREDERICK / Headline Surfer
ATLANTA -- Two definites resulted from Chase Elliott's participation Sunday in the Quaker State 400 Presented by Walmart.
The former NASCAR Cup Series champion won the race, and as a result, maintained his lead as the season's title leader. And his third victory of the season was in front of his home crowd at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
For Elliott, hearing the loud cheers from the home crowd after the race is a moment in time that ranks right up there in his young racing career.
Elliott’s No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet led a race-best 96 of the 260 laps and held off a charging field to win Sunday’s Quaker State 400, ultimately securing the trophy when the caution flag came out in the closing portion of the frenzied final lap.
Photos for Headline Surfer / Left: Credit: HAMPTON, GEORGIA - JULY 10: Corey LaJoie, driver of the #7 Chevrolet, leads the field during the NASCAR Cup Series Quaker State 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on July 10, 2022, in Hampton, Georgia. Top Right: Chase Elliott is shown up front with an 11-car pack in the latter stages of the race. (Photos by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images). Bottom Right: Credit: HAMPTON, GEORGIA - JULY 10: Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 Toyota, is shown near the front early in the race. Hamlin would later crash. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)
Corey LaJoie, who was dueling it out with Elliott on that last lap, brought out that caution after hitting the wall on the backstretch in a final attempt to pull alongside and pass Elliott for what would have also been a popular first-career NASCAR Cup Series victory for the well-liked LaJoie.
“This one’s up there for sure, to win at your home track is a real big deal I think to any race car driver,’’ said Elliott, 26, of nearby Dawsonville, Ga.
“I watched a lot of guys do it over the years, Jimmie [Johnson] out in California. We haven’t really had a very good run here, so I felt like today was a good opportunity for us."
Elliott continued, “I’m just so proud. This is obviously home for me and home to a lot of great fans who made a lot of noise today. Couldn’t be more proud of our team.”
“This one’s up there for sure, to win at your home track is a real big deal I think to any race car driver,’’ said Elliott, 26, of nearby Dawsonville, Ga. “I watched a lot of guys do it over the years, Jimmie [Johnson] out in California. We haven’t really had a very good run here, so I felt like today was a good opportunity for us."
Obviously disappointed not to win, LaJoie said he was encouraged by the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet team’s work on Sunday and boosted by the confidence of being in a position to win late in a race.
“Closest I’ve ever been, for sure that was fun’’ LaJoie said. “I’m proud of my guys at Spire and everyone who helped us out."
With 27 lead changes among 12 drivers and 13 caution periods, it was an eventful day on the newly reconfigured and re-paved Atlanta Motor Speedway’s 1.54-mile track.
And there was plenty of drama from the hometown kid winning his series-best third race of the year to several dust-ups among popular drivers.
Ross Chastain, who had a busy day on track and was part of a couple of those incidents, rallied to finish runner-up to Elliott.
“I hated that I took the best car here and I tore it up a couple times, but yeah, it’s incredible,’’ Chastain said of rebounding to score his fifth top-two finish of the season.
After being collected in a nine-car accident just before the race’s mid-point, Chastain worked his way forward again only to make contact with veteran Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin as the two were running in the top 10 late in the race.
The pair have had run-ins previously this season and Hamlin, whose car was badly damaged, was not happy after the race.
Team Penske rookie Austin Cindric – winner of the season-opening Daytona 500 – finished third, with Petty GMS Motorsports’ Erik Jones and Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney rounding out the top five.
With the victory, Elliott extended his championship lead over Blaney to 47 points. Chastain is now third, 50 points behind Elliott.
The NASCAR Cup Series returns to competition next weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway with the Ambetter 301 on Sunday (3 p.m. ET, USA Network, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Stewart-Haas Racing driver Aric Almirola is the defending race winner.
Multimedia:
YouTube embedding / NBC Sports, NASCAR, Atlanta Motor Speedway video / July 10, 2022 / Chase Elliott converts pole position into his third NASCAR Cup Series win of the year in a dominant showing at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
NASCAR Cup Series Race – 53rd Quaker State 400 presented by Walmart
Atlanta Motor Speedway, Hampton, Georgia, Sunday, July 10, 2022, Finishing Order:
- (1) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 260.
- (2) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 260.
- (5) Austin Cindric #, Ford, 260.
- (25) Erik Jones, Chevrolet, 260.
- (6) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 260.
- (7) Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet, 260.
- (24) Justin Haley, Chevrolet, 260.
- (22) Aric Almirola, Ford, 260.
- (18) Cole Custer, Ford, 260.
- (27) Harrison Burton #, Ford, 260.
- (9) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 260.
- (10) Kevin Harvick, Ford, 260.
- (3) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 260.
- (32) Bubba Wallace, Toyota, 260.
- (12) Michael McDowell, Ford, 260.
- (14) Chase Briscoe, Ford, 260.
- (28) Todd Gilliland #, Ford, 260.
- (31) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 260.
- (15) Christopher Bell, Toyota, 260.
- (19) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 260.
- (30) Corey LaJoie, Chevrolet, 260.
- (21) Kurt Busch, Toyota, Accident, 259.
- (34) Cody Ware, Ford, 259.
- (36) Landon Cassill(i), Chevrolet, 259.
- (16) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 259.
- (17) Joey Logano, Ford, DVP, 252.
- (33) Garrett Smithley(i), Ford, 252.
- (23) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, DVP, 174.
- (4) Tyler Reddick, Chevrolet, Accident, 170.
- (13) William Byron, Chevrolet, Accident, 170.
- (20) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet, Engine, 162.
- (8) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, DVP, 160.
- (11) Chris Buescher, Ford, Accident, 107.
- (29) Noah Gragson(i), Chevrolet, Suspension, 91.
- (26) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, Accident, 90.
- (35) BJ McLeod(i), Ford, Accident, 77.
About the Byline Writer: Henry Frederick is a member of the working press and publisher of Headline Surfer, the award-winning 24/7 internet news outlet launched in 2008, that serves greater Daytona Beach, Sanford & Orlando from Lake Mary, Florida via HeadlineSurfer.com. Frederick has amassed close to 150 award-winning bylines in print & online. He earned his Master of Arts in New Media Journalism from Full Sail University in 2019. He was a breaking news reporter (metro cops & courts beat) for the Daytona Beach News-Journal for nearly a decade. And Before that worked the same beat for The Journal-News/Gannett Suburban Newspapers in Rockland/Westchester counties, NY, dating back to 1989. Having witnessed the execution of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Florida's death chamber and covering other high-profile cases such as the George Zimmerman murder trial, Frederick has appeared on national crime documentary shows on Discovery ID, Reelz, and the Oxygen Network series "Snapped" for his analysis. AWJ: