Chase Elliott Completes Atlanta Sweep in Hometown Win

Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images for NASCAR

NASCAR

Chase Elliott Takes First Hometown Win From Atlanta

HAMPTON, Ga. – A very popular win happened in the Peach State, as Chase Elliott took his first win at his home track. The 9 car was out front for much of the day, taking a max-points effort by winning both Stages and the race. Elliott held off a last-lap charge from Corey Lajoie, as a crash unfolded behind him.

From the pole, Elliott took a dominant Stage 1 win. After a relatively calm opening Stage, the chaos and carnage ramped up midway through Stage 2, as a big multi-car crash unfolded. While racing for the lead, Martin Truex Jr. slowed in front of Ross Chastain, giving the 1 nowhere to go. Truex’s 19 spun in turn two, collecting multiple others as innocent bystanders. Joey Logano, Kyle Busch, and Austin Dillon were just a few of those involved in this first big one.

Stage 2 would end under caution after Alex Bowman blew a tire and crashed. This incident happened just after Chase Elliott had retaken the lead away from Tyler Reddick. While one Hendrick car was out, the 9 car took a Stage-sweeping day.

Not long into the final Stage, another big crash happened in turn three. Garrett Smithley slowed while running inside the top 15, getting run over by Ty Dillon and many more. Taken out in this accident would be March Atlanta winner William Byron, Tyler Reddick, and more.

With the field of contenders thinned out, one underdog found their way up front: Corey Lajoie. The Spire Motorsports No. 7 Chevrolet led laps and mixed it up among the head of the pack for the remainder of the day. As laps wound down, Lajoie hoped to blow up the Playoff picture with a most-unexpected win. Lajoie lost the lead to Elliott with two laps left, in perfect position to make a last-lap charge for the win.

Going into turn one on the last lap, Lajoie had a big run and tried going to Elliott’s outside. However, the 9 ran the 7 wide, forcing Lajoie into the wall and wrecking him across the pack. This triggered an instant caution, giving the win to Elliott’s 9 car. Lajoie went from running a career-best second to finishing 21st.

“This one is up there for sure, man,” Elliott said on the weight of this victory against his other wins. “To win at your home track is a really big deal.. I think to any race car driver. I’ve 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 great opportunity for us.

But just so proud. This is obviously home for me. Home to a lot of great fans who made a lot of noise today. Home for NAPA right down the road in Atlanta. Couldn’t be more proud of our team. What a car. I’m not sure we’ve ever had a speedway car that good. If we have, I’ve probably wrecked it down at Daytona.

But just, man, what a few weeks it’s been. I feel like I gave one away last week, and to come back and to put on a performance like that, I’m really proud of that. Excited to get home. It’s going to be a big one tonight. I’m looking forward to it.”

Behind Elliott, top finishers were Ross Chastain, Austin Cindric, Erik Jones, Ryan Blaney, Daniel Suarez, Justin Haley, Aric Almirola, Cole Custer, and Harrison Burton.

Still the Cup Series points leader, Elliott is the first driver to record three wins in 2022. The 2020 Champion hopes to enter this year’s Playoffs with a big advantage as the regular season champion.

Up next for the NASCAR Cup Series is New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The Ambetter 301 will be the Next Gen car’s first trek to the Magic Mile, so nobody truly knows what to expect. Coverage begins Sunday at 3:00 p.m. ET on USA Network, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. New Hampshire gave us a Playoff-upset last year, can that happen again this time around?

Written by Peter Stratta

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Photo Credit to Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images for NASCAR