The hometown driver finally has his win in Atlanta.
Chase Elliott won the 2022 Quaker State 400 Sunday at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. The Dawsonville native, who received his usual passionate support from fans throughout the afternoon, had long vied for a victory in his native state.
“It’s a really big deal to me, personally,” Elliott said. “I’ve watched guys win in their home tracks. You watch that from afar, you appreciate it, but until you start competing here and feeling a bigger connection with the fans, people before the race, when you feel that connection and vibe, you want to do well. It motivates you. ... This crowd, the stars aligned for us today. A beautiful day, it could’ve been way hot. We got super fortunate for this afternoon. Proud to be from Georgia and hopefully made the folks who’ve supported us over the years proud.
“When you have days like this, you want to enjoy them, especially in a place like this, being at home, and how special that is to me. I’m certainly going to enjoy this one. ... These are moments you wish you could bottle up and keep. Moments near and dear to your heart.”
Elliott, 26, couldn’t have asked for a better day. He swept the first two stages and took the lead again with two laps remaining to secure the victory. During the final stretch, he just edged Corey LaJoie, who had a shot at an upset win before wrecking after Elliott’s block. Elliott, who led for 96 laps, won the race under caution. LaJoie, who finished 21st after the wreck, sought out Elliott to congratulate him after the race.
“We were going for the win (so I expected LaJoie to make a move),” Elliott said. “He did exactly what he needed to do. I hate that he wrecked, but I was doing what I needed to do as well. I didn’t feel like I’d get another shot at it. Throughout the day, prior to that, I’d kind of chosen the lane I wanted to lose and let that guy get up next to me without throwing a mega block like that, that’s typically a good way to crash. I just felt like we’re racing for a win here in Atlanta and I might not have this opportunity again so might want to throw one and hope for the best.”
Sunday marked Elliott’s third victory this season. Elliott also won in Nashville last month and Dover in May. Elliott, the 2020 Cup Series champion, sits comfortably atop the Cup Series standings with 684 points (Ryan Blaney is second with 637 points). Elliott’s three wins are also the most of any driver.
But none mean as much as this one. Elliott had previously had five top-10 finishes at AMS in his career, including placing sixth in the QuikTrip 500 in March.
Chase and Bill Elliott became the second father-son combo to win in Atlanta, joining Dale Earnhardt and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Bill won six times in Atlanta.
“Much like the championship, checking that mark and joining my dad on that list, it’s a really proud moment for me,” Chase said. “It’s one I’m not sure I ever really dreamed of. I wanted to be here and I wanted to be successful, but when you start having days like that, days like this, it just makes you really appreciate it. It makes me feel grateful for where I am and the opportunities I’ve had. I don’t feel like I deserve it. I really don’t. I’m just trying to enjoy these moments because they’re too hard to come by to take them for granted.”
Ross Chastain, Austin Cindric, Erik Jones and Blaney rounded out the top five Sunday. Will Byron, who won here in March, finished 30th. Kurt Busch, last year’s Quaker State victor, finished No. 22.
The Quaker State 400 concluded the Atlanta Motor Speedway’s two-race portion of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series. The 2023 Cup Series, which will be NASCAR’s 75th season, doesn’t have an official schedule yet but will again feature two trips to Atlanta.
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