Chase Elliott Wins in Atlanta in a Race Full of Incidents
HAMPTON, Ga. – Chase Elliott, the home favorite, starred in an exciting victory in the NASCAR Cup Series in Atlanta on Saturday night, surpassing Brad Keselowski on the last lap and securing his twentieth career victory. Elliott, the popular driver from Dawsonville, Georgia, secured his place in the NASCAR playoffs with this victory, his first since April 2024 in Texas, and his first in Atlanta since 2022.The race was marked by multiple incidents, starting with a crash on the second stage that involved several important names in the sport and left others with damaged vehicles. Joey Logano, who led the first 36 laps before light rain forced the first caution, was one of the many drivers affected in the incident.Never in my life, this is incredible. This is something I will remember for the rest of my life.
Chase Elliott
- William Byron
- Austin Cindric
- Ross Chastain
- Josh Berry
- Corey LaJoie
- Daniel Suarez
Denny Hamlin, who also suffered damage to his Toyota, commented: “Some zigged, some zagged. Most crashed.” The Atlanta race, at EchoPark Speedway, formerly known as Atlanta Motor Speedway, marked the debut of the In-Season Challenge, a five-race tournament with a bracket format and 32 drivers. The early elimination of several prominent drivers demonstrated the challenges of predicting NASCAR winners in a format similar to March Madness. The top two seeds were among the first casualties. Hamlin, the tournament’s number 1 seed, finished in 31st place and lost to Ty Dillon, who finished eighth. Chase Briscoe, who had beaten Hamlin for his first victory for Joe Gibbs Racing last week at Pocono Raceway, was the No. 2 seed before being eliminated in a crash and losing to Noah Gragson in the tournament. The tournament winner will receive a $1 million prize as part of a new media rights deal. Elliott and Keselowski were on the front row when a caution with 33 laps to go forced a decision on whether to pit for new tires. Both stayed out on the track and Elliott fell back after the restart until he made his decisive charge at the end.He wrecked the whole field. I still don’t know exactly how it started… but it was total chaos. Cars were sideways and braking. I got hit from every possible angle.
Joey Logano
