Chase Elliott Prevails in Incident-Filled Race in Atlanta
In a night full of emotions and accidents, Chase Elliott, the local favorite, took the victory in the NASCAR Cup Series held in Atlanta. Elliott surpassed Brad Keselowski on the last lap to secure his twentieth career victory. The Dawsonville, Georgia, driver secured his spot in the NASCAR playoffs with this victory, his first since April 2024 in Texas. Furthermore, this was his first Atlanta win since 2022.The race was marked by multiple incidents, especially one in the second stage that involved several of the most important names in the sport, leaving many with damaged cars. Joey Logano, who led the first 36 laps, was one of the drivers affected by this accident. Other drivers such as William Byron, Austin Cindric, Ross Chastain, Josh Berry, Corey LaJoie, and Daniel Suarez were also involved.Never in my entire life, this is incredible. This is something I will remember for the rest of my life.
Chase Elliott
He wrecked the whole group. I still don’t know exactly how it started… but it was total chaos. Cars were on their sides and braking. I got hit from all sides.
Joey Logano
The race at Atlanta Motor Speedway was the debut of the In-Season Challenge, a five-race tournament with an elimination bracket format. 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 fell victim to early incidents. Hamlin, the number 1 seed in the tournament, finished in 31st place and lost against Ty Dillon, who finished eighth. Chase Briscoe, the number 2 seed, was also eliminated in an accident and lost against Noah Gragson in the tournament. A $1 million prize awaits the winner, as part of a new media rights deal. Elliott and Keselowski led the race when a yellow flag with 33 laps to go forced a decision on whether to pit for new tires. Both drivers decided to stay on the track. Elliott fell back after the restart, but ultimately made a decisive attack at the end. Ryan Blaney was eliminated in an accident in the first stage. Christopher Bell crashed into the wall, triggering the accident that ended the stage with Cindric in the lead. Cindric was involved in the major accident at the beginning of the second stage. Kyle Busch, Hamlin, and Bubba Wallace were also involved. Tyler Reddick edged out Elliott by 0.001 seconds to win the second stage, in a battle between drivers seeking their first stage and overall win of the season. The Friday qualifying and the Xfinity race, won by Nick Sanchez, were affected by lightning and rain. On Saturday night, the race was also threatened by adverse weather conditions. The next Cup Series race will take place in Chicago for the Chicago Street Race on July 6.Some zigged. Some zagged. Most crashed.
Denny Hamlin
